Her Own World
by Karla3
Summary: Is it possible to change the past for the ones you love? Can you correct simple errors in order to stop a vicious cycle? Six friends must cross the line where Friendship ends...and Duty begins.
1. Chapter 1: Noticing New Change

Chapter 1: Noticing New Change 

__

_Since when did the world move so slow? Since when did the stars only shine when you're happy? Since when did I start thinking like this…arg_

She didn't know what brang on such thoughts. The thoughts that seemed to pull angrily at her patience. She blamed it mainly on the cool night air, or the breeze that rolled down from the Trabian Mountains, or even the loose atmosphere around her. But she _knew _the thoughts were from her inner conscious, the one that sat deep inside her…waiting in the darkness until it could pounce on her steadiness.

_If only I could know what the future is going to bring for me. If only I knew what great times are ahead of me…and what dark days there might be. I hate being so unsure, especially when I have this feeling._

For so long she had been feeling a sense of…longing. A sense so strong she was drawn to every feeling around her. Her senses acted with such accuracy that she could walk through the garden, with her eyes closed and know her way. And of course with out bumping into anyone, despite the strange looks from passerby's. Her feelings went deeper then that though. She lost control of herself. As if she were going mad. Sometimes her feelings brought her outside to the starry sky where her eyes would search the tiny dots of light that she knew were so far away, yet seemed so close, for answers. Each light gave off the same loneliness she felt all day long. She had told no one about her strange…feelings… because she knew they would all worry and straight away blame it on her sorcery or ignorance to handle her own feelings. She hated the word now. Feelings. 

_ Just signals from your brain telling your inner conscious to act or think a certain way, like a control device. Its nothing I can't handle, I just need to break the link… _

" Hey someone told me you out here. Maybe you should be wearing a jacket or something…you look pretty cold" She smiled at the familiar voice. _Squall…do you have the same thoughts as me?_ _Of course you don't, you don't worry as much as I do. I think I'm becoming…well, like you were, thinking too much…off in my own world. Well I suppose you used - _" Helloooo Rinoa, anyone there?" _Damnit, there I go again…aah! Answer! _" Oh sorry I was just you know…t-thinking" He slowly shook his head. Her 'brooding' was all too obvious. Especially for him since it used to be his favorite past time. " Rin, I'm worried about you. We all are. Is there something your not telling us?"

_Too much…There's too much I'm not telling you all…_ She put on her smile trying her best to make herself look sure. " Its ok Squall I'm fine" 

It was again, all too obvious that she was putting on an act. There was a certain aroma of sadness coming from her that he could feel. But even so, he smiled back. _No point in worrying too much…_ " So…Cid was talking to me about the Timber issue…he's considering maybe sending a few SeeDs down to help sort out the treaty, to set it up and get some people in to make it official" Her mood brightened at the name of her former town. She had been pleading to get a treaty signed between Timber and Galbadia for so long now. She was as determined as ever to get Timber standing on its own two feet. Besides, she still had a contract with Balamb Garden. " Squall that's wonderful! I actually thought he would never consider it…I thought he had…well" _I thought he had forgotten about it or just decided not to bother with it _" Well I thought maybe he just wasn't going to go through with it" Squall raised an eyebrow at her comment. He knew Cid was going to through with it was just other clients that needed SeeD more than Timber did and well…business is business.

" Squall! Cid wants to see you!" Quistis yelled from behind. She hadn't been there long but she had caught a moment of their discussion. Now, Quistis Trepe was not an eavesdropper…she just had a knack for knowing things she knew she ought to know.

Squall turned around and nodded in acknowledgement. She smiled briefly and walked back inside. " Ok well I'll be seeing you soon then…" He bent down slightly to give her a quick kiss. It wasn't all too often he showed signs of affection but when he did, it was a moment too last. When he left Rinoa was alone again. _ Well it's just me and my thoughts…oh joy…_

~..**..~

" Sir" Squall gave Cid his usual SeeD salute in greeting. " Squall I need to discuss with you, the situation with Timber. As you know I have agreed to send some SeeD's down to Timber to sort out an agreement for a peace treaty. I would like you to go down with Selphie, Zell and Rinoa. This being of course part of the contract Garden signed with the Forest Owls and I'm obliged to send the original team" Squall quietly listened to the headmasters long briefing, but still keeping himself occupied with his own thoughts. 

_ Quistis and Irvine would be a good asset to the team…if only they could come down with us…I'm sure Rinoa would want that as well _" Sir…If I may. Perhaps an adjustment to the original team would be convenient and -" Cid cut him off, shaking his head.

 " I'm sorry Squall but the team has been decided. I'll be expecting you and your team to meet, fully packed for a week, to meet Xu and I down at the front gates tomorrow at 17:00 hours. Understood?"

" Yes sir"

He walked out of the elevator, his mood in not much of a happy state. Sure he could tell Rinoa the great news but…he wouldn't have his full team with him. His _friends_. But he was Squall Leonheart, he never let his social life…even though he technically only just got one, interfere with his work. Not many students were walking around Garden so he was in the right mind to think they were all in class. Quistis said she was doing a history class today and a defense against flying foes class. A new category. He was hit with a sense of deja-vu when someone came running at him and slammed into his side. He didn't fall over but the offender did.

" Oops…I do this a lot don't I?" Squall couldn't help but grin when he saw Selphie lying on the ground grinning in her fashion and bits of paper floating down in front of her. 

" Here let me help…" The two began to slowly pick up the fallen pieces of paper. Squall took his chance to tell Selphie about their new mission. " Hey Sephy…Cid briefed me about our new mission. We're going to Timber to-" Her eyes lit up. " Really?! We're finally going to help?" He nodded. " Yeah we are. You me, Zell and Rinoa are going down as a team. Because of the contract" He waited for her nod of approval before continuing. " Hopefully we're going to be able to settle a peace treaty" They both stood up, Selphie with her handful of paper sorted once more. " So we have to meet at the front gates tomorrow at 17:00 hours ok?" She nodded once more and looked around. " I'll tell Zell ok. Meet you there! Oh! And thanks for the help" She skipped off in the direction of her class. _Selphie…a natural at cheeryness _He looked around for anyone. _ So much time and so little to do…Rinoa _He nodded to himself and walked back to the balcony where he knew she would still be.

Unfortunately she wasn't infact there. He was slightly disappointed to find she had left. He was sure she had no classes and she wasn't teaching today. He rattled his brain for an idea but the only ones that came were, _ dormitory or Training Center _Once again he nodded to himself and started at her dorm. 

When he found her she was at the training center near the tiny pool of murky water. The surface gurgled slightly and a few bugs lazily skimmed its surface. Not the most approving look._ Damn…I'll have to remind Cid to get that cleaned out again…_

She was looking into the water with a lost and dreamy look to her fragile face. He felt almost…shocked at her expression. Never had he seen her look so empty. 

Normally he would find her here frying a few grats with her improved sorcery or teaching a few kids to aim a spell correctly. What was it that she found so interesting or dazzling in the water? " Hey Rin…what are doing?" She was snapped out of her trance and her features returned to normal. " Oh…I was" _ Thinking too much again… _ " The monsters don't seem to come around here much so it's…a nice place to…come and think" She looked down at her feet. A tear threatened to make itself known. _ Don't cry…don't cry…I don't won't to seem weak…oh but I am! _She couldn't hold it in. Her strength shattered and her calmness dissolved. She broke down into a series of sobs. " I just don't know any more! I come here a lot and I expect to come up with some reason for why I feel thins way so much but I…but I just _can't. _Do you know what it feels like to be looking for something in your mind but it…it just won't come and you…what's wrong with me!" She trembled and her knees felt like buckling. She gave one last cry and fell. But from behind, two strong arms caught her. " Rin…I'm here I'm right here…" Squall tried desperately to hold onto Rinoa's shaking form. Slowly he lowered her down to the grassy and wet surface. She linked her arms around his neck, holding on like a lost child, crying into his jacket. 

_ Rin…I'll found out_

..~**~..

Despite the disturbing moment in the training center Squall felt generally calm. He had packed his gear for the mission, told Rinoa to do so as well and stood in the secret area alone. She was now going to meet him here. He had been unsure at first to leave Rinoa on her own, but she had insisted that she would be ok. Every few seconds or so, he would look at his watch. Just to make sure she would turn up. The thought that he was getting over-protective entered his mind and he silently cursed himself for being so damn nervy. _Get it together _He groaned and rubbed his temples. This was going to be a long night, he could tell just by the atmosphere around himself. He had gone from being calm, to being tight and stressed. A calm voice broke his barricade. " Hey you" Rinoa walked up beside him quietly. He smiled when he saw her beside him but kept his vision straight ahead. Neither of them spoke. They both knew what the other was thinking. But even so, the silence was killing her so she spoke to him, calmly and coolly, as if she were back to her normal self again.

" Hey I didn't run into a single monster on my way here you know? Is that a record?"

He sarcastically put his finger under his chin thinking deeply. " Well if you can walk around the training center about five times without a single encounter then I think you would break the record" She huffed and leaned down. " I have a while to go then" He mumbled, " Mmmhmm" and leaned over the railing slightly, looking down.

" Rinoa we really need to talk about this. About what happened before" He turned his body to face her. " We both know you weren't acting as you normally do. You have been a little…out of character I guess" She nodded and closed her eyes, keeping her voice as calm and mature as she would allow herself. " I know and I've decided to go and see Doctor Kadowaki…maybe she can help me, you know, like counseling or something"

_ Is it really that serious Rin? Well at least your getting some help _" That's great Rin. Oh hey, are you all packed for the mission yet?" She nodded, mumbling " mmmhmm" and looked behind her. " I'm pretty tired so I think I'll go to bed. See you in the morning Squall" She quickly gave him a kiss on the cheek and walked out of the secret area. She was in a rush to get out of the crowded area and into her own solitude. He noticed this but said nothing, letting her go.

_ Do you know what its like to be looking for something in your mind but it just wont come to you?…Rin, I remember you words so clearly because I used to be like that too. But I knew how to deal with it, I was used to it. You're different. You too fragile and you break down easier. Is this how I'm going to lose you? What if I can't protect you? What if I can't figure it out! I know I haven't shown it but I know you've been like this for a while now. I've noticed and it scares me…what if the next time you break down like you did, and I'm not there? What if no one is there? _It was then that he realized this was not how Squall Leonheart worked his mind. He was worrying too much and using the term 'what if?' way too much. _ See how I've changed? It's because of you, you made me a better person, I can't afford to lose you _With these thoughts fresh in his mind, he left the lonely training center and went back to his dorm. 

A/N: Well the first chapter of my new fic complete! I have about three chapters all ready to go, I'll post the next one as soon as I get some reviews, not to sound to pushy, I just want to know what people think of this. It's a new style of writing for me too. Please please please review and make me a happy freddo!!! ( just a saying of mine) hee hee 

Yes, I edited this chapter! Just made a few minor improvements…


	2. Chapter 2: Timber

The Way It Has To Be 

**__**

Chapter 2: Timber 

Like so long ago. There they were on the train to timber to insure its independence. The whole team had a clear mind. Mostly with thoughts of success and joy. It had been so long since they were able to go back and right the wrong. Rinoa on the other hand had other thoughts. She was sitting alone in the corner. Squall had gone out of the carriage to speak with the driver, no one knew why. Being alone like she was always made her think. She hated it, but it was brought on by her faults.

_ Timber. My home. How long has been? I was supposed to go back and help so long ago…but I didn't. I was too self absorbed. But now that I am… I don't know. I can't help but feel worried. Something is going to happen_

" Rinoa?" She snapped her head back up and looked over Selphie. " Are you ok?"  Rinoa merely nodded slightly in reply and leaned down further.

_ Oh great now they're all starting to suspect something is wrong…_

" So like, when we get there we have to face media?" There was a hint of amusement in Zell's voice. Selphie nodded in a quick excited fashion. " Yeah but Squall said we're not to answer any questions or say anything…not even smile at the camera" Selphie couldn't hide the pouting look on her face as she mentioned the last bit. 

" Are you all ready? We'll be there in about 5 minutes" They all turned to see their leader standing in the doorway. With a quick nod from everyone he resumed his place next to Rinoa. " Hey Rin…" She looked up to acknowledge him. " Do you have any preparations to say for your speech?"

_Speech? No one said anything about a speech! _" Yeah I'm all ready"

The train shuddered slightly as it hit a bump. Rinoa grabbed her seat. It was just a minor bump, but something made her feel a little insecure. She taped Squall lightly on the shoulder. " Squall could we go outside for just a minute…I need to talk to you about something. Just quickly" 

Squall felt uneasy about her tone. She seemed over worried and anxious, like she was in a hurry to get out. He nodded quickly and took her hand, leading her out of the room.

Once outside Rinoa took a deep breath.

" Squall something is wrong with me" She waited for his reply, but when none came she continued. " I…I've been having these…thoughts lately and I'm not quite sure what to make of it all. Its like I'm in…this whole new world all of the sudden and the only way for me to escape is to go to my mind" She paused and shook her head, clearly frustrated. " I know I must sound so stupid right now but I…" Squall lowered his head. He knew this was coming. " Rin…I understand. It's not stupid. Its ok for you feel like you do"

She shook her head at him again, turning around, looking out the window. " No it's not ok. I shouldn't feel so…so" She searched for the right word…but upon finding none she lowered her volume. " I just want go somewhere alone. Somewhere other then my head. When I look at people I can _see_ what their thinking. ' There goes the sorceress. The one who's gonna swear to never follow in her ancestors foots' or, ' There goes that crazy girl, just like the rest'. It's all the same Squall. It's never going to stop!" 

Listening to me…he must think I've become so self absorbed. I'm just thinking about me. But who else can I think about right now? I need to talk about 'me'. Because, 'me' has a problem and I'm admitting that

" Squall, please don't think of me as crazy…just give me some time to figure myself out. I need your help…I need everyone's help" She took a deep breath. She hadn't realized how easy this had been. 

" I understand Rin" That was the words she needed to hear. She leaned forward into him breathing a sigh of relief, her words becoming muffled in his SeeD jacket. " Thankyou". 

For the second time, the train shuddered and came to a halt. The SeeD's assembled in the main carriage before their departure. 

" There will be a limo outside ready to pick us up and take us to the hotel. When we get there, we're to unpack and assemble out front. From there we can go straight to the city hall and begin the meeting. Understood?" Nods all round. 

They stepped out into the crowded train station. Media A camera flashed in Rinoa's eyes, making her turn away in an attempt to try and shake out the dizziness in her head and eyes. I hate the media someone shoved a microphone under Selphie's nose. 

" Miss Tilmitt! Can you tell us about your expectations for the meeting this afternoon?"

With a quick look from Squall she kept her mouth shut. The things some people will do just to get a good story to paste on the front page She blocked the camera's, the yelling and the microphones that came out from no where. She closed her mind off. So tired…I just want to get out She threw a worried glance to her comrades. Get away from me…I have no interest in the media. Go away When she opened her thoughts again, she was closer to the limo then ever. Just a few steps. When finally she made it, she slumped into her seat, facing Zell, and slouched down low. Thankfully, the windows were tinted. 

" That went well!" Zell's comment was ignored for the moment. Mainly because no one was sure whether or not it was sarcasm.

 Selphie tugged at Squall's arm. " Squall when can we get in contact with Irvine or Quistis?" He shrugged back, not sure of what to say. Cid had informed him that no contact needed to be made unless it was business related…which wouldn't be necessary because nor Irvine or Quistis weren't apart of the mission. 

Still sitting slouched down, Rinoa questioned herself. What is a meeting going to do? We need to take drastic action to sort this whole thing out…a meeting? Why? 

"Rinoa…hey Rinoa. Come back" She jolted her head toward Squall. " Yes?"

" You were off again. You know, in your world" She meekly nodded back and sat lower in her seat. 

A/N: Hey! Sorry this took so long to you update, I hope this is going to turn out all right. Tell ur buddies about it and get them to read it! I promise it will be good! By the way this will be changed from **The Way it has to be** to, :

**Her Own World**

Ok? So remember, I'm changing the name to that. Ok well, see ya'll!

Oh yeah, PRETTY PLEASE REVIEW! Eheh 


	3. Chapter 3: Recognition

Her Own World 

**__**

Chapter 3: Recognition 

" We are only lost if we cannot find the our reasons for being in this world"

- Dan .S

The room was flawless. It acquired all necessary items for a good stay. Little soaps and shampoos, mini coffee and tea and complimentary towels. She also noted the phone, located on the dressing table, with the normal digits. But with a few extras like 'room service' or 'cleaning lady'. Cid had booked them into a very nice hotel. 

She collapsed on the bed and closed her eyes. They were all supposed to meet out front after unpacking…but she hadn't really packed much and she was sure Squall would give them all time to get used to the rooms. 

First thing, she had a look at the bathroom. It was nice. Clean and tidy. The spa at the very end was tempting.

Next was the dining area. A two seated table with a set of cutlery that very much reminded her of her days in the Caraway Mansion. She shuddered at the thought. 

She spent a good fifteen minutes looking around her room. It wasn't really a room to her; it was more like an apartment. With an extra bathroom…but she came back to the task at hand and unpacked her gear neatly into the provided draws. She never used draws much, but they might be sending someone around to look at the neatness, so she made it special.

That's when the unlucky turn of events followed through.

She had put her last set of clothes into the cupboard when an oncoming headache came about. She groaned and grabbed a cup of water from the kitchen. Something told her she was headed for something serious. 

She splashed some water on her forehead and sat on the side of the bed. The pain turned to a dull ache and her eyes squinted. " What the…?" The room around her turned fuzzy. Her vision blurred and everything began swimming in a pool of murky red. Her body swayed slightly and she lost all feeling to her surroundings.

The pain subsided and although she didn't know it, her body fell lifelessly to ground.

..~**~..

" Where is she?" Selphie asked. Her bouncy curls hung low and spiked at the tips as an indicator of her last shower.

" I'm not sure…" Squall answered. He kept his hand firmly planted on his forehead shielding the sun and looked toward the hotel. " Does anyone know her room number?"

He received shrugs all around and sighed. " We'll wait a bit longer" 

Selphie yawned loudly and picked up her bag. She rummaged inside for a moment, before taking out a white card. She looked at it long and hard. Her hand shot up into the air and happily announced, " Room number 24, Squally, go see what's up"

Squall complied and walked back inside the hotel. The white walls of the room corridor were vastly decorated with original paintings from long ago. He had to stop and look at one of them for a moment. _I'm positive I've seen this before _He pondered over the mysterious painting for some time, then walked up to Rinoa's room.

..~**~..

_"Rinoa? Can you hear me?"_

_Yes…I think so…_

_" Listen carefully Rinoa…do you know where you are?"_

_No_

_"Why not? You've been here before"_

_She pushed herself up from the ground and weakly lifted her head. Her surroundings registered immediately and fear swept across her body._

_Ultimecia's Castle!?_

_" Yes…"_

_Why am I here?_

_" Because you need to be shown…you need to see for yourself what you did. What you will do. I'm sure you already know you and your…friends…traveled here and destroyed her"_

_Yes_

_" Don't you ever ponder the thought of what happened to Ultimecia? Or where she came from? You merely destroyed her in the future. That wont stop her from being brought into the world. Her time will still exist"_

_What are you getting at?_

_" Her time and yours…will blend"_

A loud knock woke her from her dream. She lazily slumped off the ground and sat on her bed. Another knock followed. " Come in…" She yawned. It was Squall. 

" Rinoa? We're all ready to go now"

She nodded meekly and picked up her bag. " Sorry about the delay…" She thought for second about her sudden vision. She opened her mouth then… _Best not to tell him about my little encounter. He'll get even more worried then he is now _She shut her mouth almost immediately.She smiled reassuringly and walked out the door. Upon exiting, Squall pointed to a piece of artwork on the wall.

" Rinoa, do you recognize this?" She looked at it for a moment, then shook her head. "No Cant say I have sorry" He shrugged. " Never mind…" They both exited the hotel and met the rest of the group outside. 

" Sorry everyone" Rinoa apologized. They all said their ' don't worry about it's' and they stepped into the limo.

..~**~.. 

**Authors Note: **It has been sooo long since I updated this. And for those who are reading, thankyou so much for putting up with me. (if you have). I guarantee this will be a worthwhile fic!

Please leave a review, I need the feedback! 


	4. Chapter 4: Signing Peace

**_Her own World_**

**__**

Chapter: 4 Signing Peace

" Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare"

- Unknown

" I think I'm going to fall asleep…" Selphie yawned. She slumped down in her seat and tilted her head back. With a quick flick of her wrist, she closed the curtain on the window and a shadow of darkness fell across her body. She smiled comfortably and crossed her arms.

_ I wish I could be as carefree as you Selphie…you have no idea how lucky you are_

" We'll be arriving there in a minute Selphie. I'm sure you don't want the media to see a specially trained SeeD slumped in the chair of a limo. Might think you're a slacker?" Zell chirped. She grinned and poked her tongue out. " Oooh be quiet…chicken wuss"

A splurge of anger filed into Zell's head. He cocked his head to the side and looked quizzically at her. " What you say?" She giggled at him and yawned. " Oh nothing…"

Her innocent attitude got the better of him and he dismissed it with a wave of his hand.

" Tch…whatever" Squall raised his head and smiled. " Hey Zell…that's copyright"

The martial artist, having remembering his mistake, slouched slightly and sarcastically replied, " Sorry man…my bad"

" You know…Quistis told me about some of the people who are coming to this thing. They don't sound too trust worthy" Selphie said. Rinoa looked up and shrugged. " Well my…Caraway will be there too so…I suppose he's counted in that group right?"

" I dunno. I think its up to you Rinny"

Squall leaned over and whispered to Rinoa. " Still not game enough to call him father?" She shook her head and smiled. " Nor are you" He thought on it for a moment then grinned. " Good point"

The limo stopped and Selphie bolted to an upright position, checking her uniform over again for creases and dusting off invisible bits of fluff. She looked over at the others.

" Alright…are we aloud to say 'anything' to the media?" Squall shook his head.

" Nope, sorry Selphie, I'm hoping to get not one picture of you smiling in the paper. Its not good for my reputation" He replied sarcastically. She rolled her eyes and opened the door. Instantly she was blinded by camera's flashing at her in all directions. But of course, she enjoyed the attention. Squall got out next, followed by Rinoa then Zell. Slowly they made their way through the crowd, trying to keep a straight face. For Selphie, it was more difficult than capturing a Marlboro on the Island Closest to Heaven. 

As they neared the entrance to the city hall, Rinoa looked back into the crowd of cameras and microphones. Something was there…she knew it. 

Someone was watching her…_There!_She found them. A lone figure stood amongst the crowd. No one else noticed him…or her. She couldn't tell who it was; the person was completely covered in a black trench coat like cloak. The hood covered their face and from the darkness she wasn't able to see the face. She stood completely still. To her, the crowd drowned out and it was just her and the mysterious figure. Whoever it was, they looked down, shook their head and began to slowly walk away. She was about to take pursuit when someone grabbed her roughly by the arm and dragged her inside he building. 

The large oak doors closed the crowd off and she spun around to face the accused with a scowl across her face. 

" Caraway?" Her voice was barely audible. Her angry face was covered by a look of complete disbelief.

He smiled and looked down. " Still cant quite call me father yet?" She rolled her eyes and out her hands on her hips in, 'her way'. " I'm sorry ok, its just that I have a lot on my mind and its not like I've had you as a father for all that long, and I mean-" He laughed suddenly and put a finger to her lips. " You're talking too much again" She sighed and lowered her head. " What do want anyway?"

" I just wanted to say that…I know how much you love this place and you want to it to be independent but I think its just best that if it stays with-" It was her turn to silence him.

" We can talk about this when the debate thing starts, not here, not now. I have to go" 

She blew a strand of hair from her face and walked briskly over to her comrades, who were talking in hushed voices. " Alright where to now?"

" We're going to the waiting room to prepare and then its straight into it" Squall replied. 

_ Oh no…my speech! _" When do I do my speech?" She asked. He shrugged. " I'm not sure, they didn't tell me much about the program of things"

She frowned and sat down on the cushion. Selphie sat next to her. The couch it seemed, had a plan to swallow her. Slowly the small brunette sunk down in the bouncy material and when she discovered her inconvenience tried to sit up.

 But the couch had already succeeded in capturing her so she slouched forward and rolled her eyes. Casting a worried glance to Rinoa she laughed and called out to the group, figuring Zell could save her from the 'evil couch'. 

Whilst Selphie was being rescued, Rinoa thought deeply about the figure she had seen earlier. She looked over at the other side of the room, at Squall. he was standing up speaking to one of the representatives from another group trying to 'free timber'. Perhaps a lot of new groups had formed, because she had never seen him before. 

Selphie, now standing, yawned loudly and walked over to the door leading into the debating room. She smiled broadly and happily announced that they could go in now.

Rinoa was not too happy about this though. Fearing the worst she snuck up next to Squall. " Um…what does my speech have to be about?" He stopped and looked awkwardly at her. " About your experience in a resistance faction and your prior knowledge about Timber…Rin…do you even have a speech ready?"

" No" She blurted. Fearing this was not enough she bit her lip and sat down, ushering him over as the rest of the room piled inside. " Can you help me?" He nodded. They both started going through a few preparations.

..~**~..

" And I would also like to thank the representatives from Balamb Garden. We are honored to have these SeeD's in our presence" The hall clapped for a short while until he continued his line of thankyou's. Taking her eyes off her father at the front she turned to Squall, whispering. " What was my opening line again?" He smiled and tilted his head. 

" Make some thankyou's then introduce yourself briefly" She nodded. 

" And without further ado, I would like to gladly introduce Rinoa Heartily to the stand to begin our meeting" The hall was once again full of clapping as she slowly stood. Somehow, it moved in slow motion, going up to the podium. As her father walked back to his seat, he sent her an encouraging smile. She returned it and stood next to up straight, (she knew exactly how from her training in the caraway mansion). As the clapping silenced she glanced down at the hundreds of microphones all connected the podium.

" First of all I want to thank a few people for making this possible. I want to thank Cid Cramer, for allowing SeeD to come down here and help prepare this meeting. Secondly, I want to thank my comrades for coming down her to support me. And lastly I wish to thank everyone here in this room, whether or not you are here to insure Timber's independence, or to keep it the same. I owe you all greatly for showing up today" Once again the hall was filled with thunderous clapping and a few people whispered about how grateful they were her thankyous were so much shorter than caraway.

" As you all know, I am Rinoa Heartily. I'm currently living in Balamb Garden. A year ago I signed a contract with SeeD to help me liberate and free Timber from Galbadian rule. I still stand to do so. Timber is, in itself, a beautiful place. If you only knew how it looked before Galbadia took it over, you would understand"

From the front row, Caraway frowned slightly.

" The entire public has gone through hell, trying to be set free. They have undergone so much pain. As most of you would know from the recent Sorceress War. All we ask, is to have a little piece of freedom that you hear about everyday on the television, in the paper or just from a friend. If any city deserves it, Timber does. It is not a hard thing to ask for. Independence"

" I was once in a resistance faction myself. Fighting for what I believed in. Now that I look back on it… I see myself as being somewhat…naïve. Fighting in vain does not sway people into belief. As most people in their own faction may abject to me…it really is true. Politics has taken over our world. Only by speaking publicly can we hope for results. So to sum this up, I ask of you. What price is the public of Timber willing to pay for freedom? Well, maybe after today…you will all know"

Once again, like so many times before, they applauded. Some people even standing to add to the effect. Through out the whole uproar, Zell even got a chance to whistle.

The rest of the meeting was met on deaf ears for Rinoa, because she was too stunned with her performance to listen.

..~**~..

They all piled out of the room. Their heads buzzing. " I'm a bit lost…" Zell muttered.

 " Did we win or not?" Selphie smiled and stopped him in his tracks. " We won! Zell weren't you even listening?" He smirked. " Sorry…I fell asleep"

Rinoa sat down, smiling at her friends. She had done it…freed timber! Selphie who was currently giggling was caught by a camera. Her face immediately full of shock.

She walked over to Rinoa. " Squally is gonna kill me!"

" Why?"

" I was smiling at a camera!" She laughed.

**Authors Note: **Thanks again for reading! It took me ages to write this chapter!

Thankyou's!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Mine won't be as long as Caraway's I promise!)

Angeles Erare: yes I think I agree with you! Thank you so much for the advice. And thanks for leaving a review. PrincessMercury: Wow! Thanks for your kind review. Heh, I'm glad to have someone on my side. Thankyou so much. I hope this chapter is good too. 

Drifting Moomba: Tee-hee! Yes I used your idea about the 'copyright' thing. Thanks for your help. Don't forget to review! (Or ill send my army of broccoli after you! Mwahaha!)


	5. Chapter 5: Whirling Descent

Her Own World 

**__**

Chapter Five: Fault 

It was like a dream. But…she was awake. She had no control over her body, her emotions, her voice…

She pressed a hand to the glass window, the same instant as an explosion of light lit up the sky. Sprays of red split evenly across the darkness and fell back onto the land, erupting in flames. It engulfed the many people, armed with machinery and firepower.

A few droplets of water trickled down the window, caused from the steam and she leaned her forehead against it. Their worthless bodies fell the ground. A sea of flames licked the edges of the cliff and the remaining life either jumped or let themselves be fed the ever-growing wave of heat.

All the while, she kept her hand pressed against the glass and her head tilted slightly. Her eyes moved up to the sky. Se focused on a star. It shown brightly against the rising smoke and to her, it was the only one in the sky. The only one game enough to show its beauty. A pair of warm, protective arms wrapped neatly around her waist. She smiled comfortably and turned her head.

" Look what we've done…"

Her hazel eyes opened quickly and she slowly became aware of the brightness of the room. In one swift motion she lifted herself out of the bed and slid down the side. The sheets slipped down around her as she sat down on the floor. Slowly her knees came up to her chest and she laid her head down on them. Her breathing came out quick and raspy. Never before had a dream ever seemed so real. A bead of sweat trickled down her forehead, past her nose and onto her cheek. She brushed it away and looked up. 

8:17

She sighed deeply and reached her hand up to the desk. She grabbed her mobile down and dialed in ten separate numbers. When she heard it ringing she brought it close to her ear.

" Hello?" The voice on the other end asked. She waited for a second then took a deep breath and began speaking. " Squall…I'm scared" On the other end she could almost see him frowning and sitting up in bed. " Rinoa just hang on a minute. I'll be there soon" She mumbled her yes and hung up. Placing the phone back on the desk, she resumed her position and closed her eyes

"Look what we've done" 

..~**~..

" Squall…it was so real. It was like I was actually there and it actually happened. How can you explain that?"

The couple sat on the large bed opposite each other. Rinoa was still in her pajamas and held onto Squall's hand tightly. " Can you…go through the details? Maybe we can make sense of it" She shook her head.

" There's no point. It was just some dumb nightmare and I'm getting all worked up about it because I can't take it seriously" She rubbed her temples and looked up. " I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called you here. Its not that serious…just a nightmare" She repeated.

He sighed. _Why are you being difficult? _" I know you might think that way but…I want to help. I said before that I would" She smiled at this leaned over. She placed her arms around his shoulders and held on tightly. " I know Squall. But give me some time and I'll tell you everything" He hugged her back and closed his eyes. _I hope you know what your doing Rinoa, because I don't_

He placed a hand over her raven hair and spoke to her softly. " Rinoa…remember what you told me on the train?" He received a muffled reply, then continued. " Well, I think we really need to talk about it" He let her go and held her at arms length. " Whether you want to or not"

She scrunched her nose up sighed. He laughed lightly at this gesture and looked her in the eyes. " Well?"

She rolled her eyes, still smiling, and nodded. " I'm going to get dressed then go back down to the city hall and speak with caraway. I'm sure you need to give a report to Cid or something, so meet me out the front of the hotel at lunchtime ok? We'll talk then"

Satisfied with her answer he nodded and quickly kissed her on the cheek before leaving the room. She sat on the bed for a minute, eyes closed, then hopped off and walked to the bathroom. She turned the tap in the shower on and undressed. As soon as she was in the cold stream of water she was instantly relieved. All her troubles from the night washed off along the droplets of water.

She quietly began humming. A tune she had picked up from the radio on the way here in the limo. From within the apartment she heard a distant 'thump'. Stopping her song she leaned out of the shower and looked into the room. The lamp next to her bed had fallen over. She rolled her eyes for the second time that morning and resumed her shower.

_I can't believe how paranoid I've become_

She almost felt disgusted in herself…

..~**~..

" So anyway, the garden festival is coming up soon right Sephy?" The yellow clad SeeD grinned happily and almost squealed back.  " Yep! And I'm organizing it, again! I can't wait!" 

Zell entered the room. He waved to her as he passed by and sat down at a nearby chair. She waved back and pressed the mobile closer to her ear.

" Hey Sephy, when are guys all coming back?" She looked over at Zell and asked him the same thing, hoping maybe Squall had told him something. He shrugged simply and picked up a magazine. She sighed and turned her attention back to Irvine on the phone.

" Nope, sorry, I haven't been told anything yet. I'll have more info later on though. Squall said he was just going to contact Cid and give him a report. Then we're a having a quick meeting. I'll ask then ok?"

" Ok, but just make sure you ring me back…I know how forgetful you are" He laughed. She giggled lightly and looked over at Zell again. He was deep in thought, reading a sport magazine. " Ok Irvy see you soon ok?" She waited for his reply then hung up.

" Hey Zell, lets get going" He placed the magazine down (much to his dismay) and followed her out of the room. She paused in the corridor. " Hey Zell, there's general Caraway" The two SeeD's walked briskly over to the general. When he noticed them he smiled warmly waved.

" I'm waiting for Rinoa" He said to them, " We're going to have a quick chat before you leave to Balamb" They both nodded and Selphie swung her right leg up behind her held on with hand in a regular stretch. From that point on, they began a very progressive conversation.

..~**~..

Rinoa steadily made her way through the streets of Timber. She watched as people lined up at the newspaper stand, eager to hear about how Timber had finally become free. Some people had already got their copy and sat on the sidewalk reading. She bowed her head and smiled. This had been her dream…her goal.

The city hall was just up in front. But before she got there she stopped by the timber maniac's office. Once inside she placed her sun glassed atop her head and walked up to the receptionist. 

" Hi, could you please tell Zone and Watts that Rinoa Heartily is here" The receptionists face lit up. " Your Rinoa Heartily? The girl that helped free Timber?" Rinoa flushed slightly and nodded. 

" Thankyou so much Rinoa! You have no idea how much you've helped this town!" She held out her head. Rinoa accepted her handshake and placed her bag on the ground. Remembering her position, the lady walked off into the main corridor and into the office section. 

After waiting a while. She returned with Zone behind her. 

" Rinoa!" He yelled. She happily embraced him in a quick hug. " How have you been princess?" She giggled slightly and they both sat down on the couch. " Zone you seem so surprised to see me. It's only been a month since I've seen you" He nodded vigorously.

" Yeah but this is the first time we've spoken since Timber got freed!" She rolled her eyes and smiled. " Yeah I suppose" _Same old Zone _

" So I'm going out to Balamb tomorrow. I'm staying there with my friends, you know. Will you be able to get some free time?" He thought for a moment. " I might be able to princess. I'll give you a call if I can" She smiled thoughtfully and gave him one more hug before going back out into the street.  

She leaned her shoulder against the doors and pushed. They opened up and aloud her to get inside the city hall, where she saw her father, waiting patiently. 

" Hi…" She whispered. He turned around and smiled as he saw her. They both walked up to each other and waited. 

_Come on Caraway, you called this meeting. Now say something_

" What did you want to talk about?" She asked. She was clearly angry he hadn't tried to start the conversation off. He cleared his throat and placed his hands behind his back. 

" I wanted to congratulate you on you speech…I was listening and I thought that you did very well. I was…proud…to have you as my daughter" 

In any other situation she would have simply thought he was trying to get on her good side. But she sighed and looked down. His words sounded genuine. Still, this was General Caraway, and she still didn't like him.

" What do you want?" She asked again. He sighed, obviously upset about something. Somewhere deep inside, she felt a pang of guilt. She rested her hand over her stomach to hide the feeling as he spoke. " Rinoa, I really am being truthful" She looked into his pleading eyes. She knew when someone was lying. 

And he was definitely _not _lying…

" I'm sorry…" She whispered. This was her father. The one who was responsible for her. He may also be a heartless general and he may have ignored her for the past few years…but

He was still her father…

" I'm just not used to…_us_…you know?" He nodded. " I'm aware. And I know it might take a while but…I'm willing to wait. I want to know who you are Rinoa"

_You're not the only one_

" Yeah and I want to know who you are too. So lets just take this whole, 'father and daughter' thing slowly and maybe we can get something out of it" He nodded, satisfied with her response and turned on his heel. " I'll be seeing you later then…and in all honesty…I really am proud of you"

She watched him leave. He turned around before heading outside to give her a quick glance, then he was out of sight. She looked down at her stomach and frowned. 

"Damnit…I hate feeling guilty…so stop it!" She felt silly, telling her emotions off, but still if nothing could help it…

_I'm trying so hard. I want to give him a chance…but I cant just…as the saying goes, I can forgive but I can never forget. And for me, that's hard to do_

" Hey…your Rinoa heartily right? The sorceress?"

She spun around to meet the stranger. She was surprised to see the man Squall had been talking to earlier. The one from the resistance. She nodded dumbly and quickly took her hand off her stomach.

The mans face twisted into an ugly expression of disgust. This gave her an even worse feeling. He wasn't a 'sorceress hater' was he?

" Do you know where my father and brother are?" Without waiting for her answer, he continued. " They're dead…and do you know why?"

_What is he getting at?_

" I don't know…" She replied. He laughed. An almost disbelieving laugh. How he could laugh in such a manner during a conversation of this type…she didn't know. 

_Maybe he escaped from a nuthouse…_

" They were in Esthar…back when Adel ruled. Adel had my father improsined. And then, in called blood, she killed him!" He yelled. She was surprised, even though they were alone in the foyer, that no one else heard.

" What are you trying to say?" She almost yelled it…but kept her cool. This time he simply and stared at her. _Definitely an escapee…_ " Are you going to answer me?"

" Then, in the second sorceress war, my brother was working in the space station. He was killed there too. When it exploded. When you caused it to explode.

_Sad coincidence, nothing else_

" How dare you accuse me of that!"

" Simple! You…are…a…sorceress! Every single one of _your kind_ has caused nothing but pain! Dictators and rulers! You'll turn against us too!"

She'd had enough. She turned and ran. All the while, from behind her, the man continued to yell out his insults, his taunts and his accusations. She slammed on the double doors and threw herself out into the street. A few people turned to look at her and her eyes widened in terror.

_Leave me alone…_

" No…" She turned away from them and headed down the path. Bumping into people as she passed. She moved quickly, needing to get away. By now quite a lot of people were looking her way. 

_Just leave me alone!_

She could read their thoughts. They all thought the same. They hated her, blamed her and accused her of all the wrong in the world. It was all her fault. She had done it all. She had killed thousands and destroyed millions. Either her…or her ancestors.

_LEAVE ME ALONE!_

She placed her hand over her ears and closed her eyes. Slowly she backed away from the noise and the crowds. She ran into an alleyway and stopped. It was blocked off. When she turned…they were gone. No one had followed her. Still, she felt crowded and leaned on a garbage bin. Her legs trembled and her breath came out as choke cries. Slowly she let herself fall. Her head hit on the ground hard and she cringed in pain. She gave up her struggle and fell unconscious.

**_Scribbles: Woo-hoo! I think I really like this chapter. Please please please review! I'm trying soooo hard on this fic. I hope you can tell. I really need some feedback! So please review._**

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**_~Karla_**


	6. Chapter 6: Purgatio

Her Own World

****

Chapter: 6

****

Purgatio 

..~**~..

It was surprising to get such a phone call. He had just finished his report to the headmaster and now he had just found out that Rinoa, who had previously been in her apartment, was now in hospital.

He sat in the waiting room in ward 17 almost falling asleep. It was tough to stay awake. He had intended on getting more sleep…but things didn't always go his way. It was freezing cold and there were very few nurses walking around. It was a quiet evening. Slowly, his eyelids closed. He made sure he didn't fall asleep though. If it was humanly possible. Footsteps made their way over to him and he instantly flicked his eyes open.

" Mr. Leonheart?"

He regarded the young, female nurse with a nod and stood up. " Rinoa's in room 19, just down the hall to your left. She asked to see you" He nodded again and smiled gratefully at the nurse, thankful for helping him to stay awake. 

Rinoa was lying down, pale faced and weary in the bed. She smiled slightly. He pulled a chair out and sat down next to her. " Hey Rin…" She tried to sit up, but he held out his hand and gently placed it on her shoulder. Signaling her to lie down.  She did this then motioned over to the door. " Zone just went to get some coffee" 

" Zone?"

She nodded wearily and yawned. " Yeah…Zone was the one who took me here when he…" She yawned once more, "…took me here"

"Oh…"

At that moment the man himself walked in and brightened upon seeing Squall there. " Oh hey! You made it" Squall looked up at him. " You brang her here?" Zone nodded. 

" She was in the back alley behind the bar, near the city hall" At this she frowned. " I can't really remember what happened" She croaked. " I'll answer that" Zone said softly. He pulled out a second chair and began explaining.

" Some people some said that you ran out of the city hall in a bit of hurry. You ran down the pathway and a few said you were acting like a loony" She rolled her eyes. He grinned slightly and continued. " Everyone thought you were gonna faint. But you ran into the alleyway. I had heard all the commotion and saw you run in. I pushed past everyone and when I found you, you were unconscious on the ground"

She brought her hand up and rubbed her temples. She let out a muffled, "ouch" and laid her head down again. " Thanks for looking out for her Zone" Squall said. Zone was about to say something but bent over, holding his hands over his gut whimpering, " Ooooooh, my stomach…" He smiled slightly and left the room. The two left in the room both looked at each other and smiled. 

" Hey Squall…maybe you should give the others a call" 

_Oh damn…forgot _" Yeah sure" He got up from his chair and took out his mobile. He slowly walked out of the room and into the corridor while dialing. Selphie answered.

" He- Zell! Stop it! You're getting it all over me! Yuuuuuck…oh! Um, hello?"

" Selphie its me…what are you guys doing?"

He heard a muffled yell then some pots clattering. Selphie walked into another room and slammed the door. " Oh, Zell's _attempting _to make hotdogs with his new 'sauce-o-matic' machine" She said this with an extreme hint of laughing. The as an afterthought she added, " And he's getting aaalll over the room"

Squall rolled his eyes and turned back to the matter at hand. " Hey listen I'm at the hospital. Rinoa had an accident and-"

" Rinny! What happened is she ok is she-" 

" Selphie calm down, she just hit her head. She's probably just got a bit of concussion. All I need you and Zell to do, is make sure all your gear is packed and give Cid a call. Tell him that our trip to Balamb will be delayed for about another day. Can you do that?"

"Sure thing Squall! Tell Rinoa we said HI"

" Alright…and make sure Zell cleans up too" With that he hung up. He placed the phone back into his jacket and walked into Rinoa's room. She had her eyes closed and her head tilted back slightly. Her breathing was slow and had a familiar rhythm to it. 

He left her to sleep and sat down, looking to the side. He saw a young girl, sitting up in bed. Both her parents were sitting beside her with her mother holding her hand. The nurse was explaining something to them, he couldn't hear what though.

The girl was sprawled on the hospital bed, a plastic strap on her wrist and a tube coming from her arm to a plastic pouch of liquid hanging on a stand. Other small wires attached her to a machine that slowly measured her heartbeat in green computer lines. Her face was a muddy gray colour, but she looked relaxed. He couldn't help but stare at the many machines and electrodes. 

The nurse checked her chart. He felt his heart sink when he saw the nurse take the parents aside to speak with them. 

He hated hospitals. He didn't really know why…nothing bad ever happened to him in one. He just had a bad feeling toward them. All these machines only measured what was happening, it couldn't fix anything. He suddenly found the small white room unbearably hot and stuffy. The quiet voices, the smell of the polish, the cut flowers, the windows that didn't open…people died in here. People died in these little rooms all the time. Maybe even in that bed someone had died recently. People with machines all around them and wires on their chest…it was all so controlled. But it didn't stop people dying. 

" Her parents came and spoke to me earlier…" He turned to Rinoa, who looked wide-awake now. " They're on holiday from Trabia. As soon as they got here…their daughter, Melanie, her appendix burst" 

"Ouch…"

" They only planned to stay here a week then go home. But now they have to stay for another three days extra and they can't afford to continue their holiday. They're on a tight budget"

He looked down. " So they've missed out on their holiday pretty much"

" Yeah…"

He looked back over at the girl. She was asleep now and her parents were back by her side. He wanted to get his mind off the girl so he quickly changed the subject.

" Hey Rinoa…I think we should talk about what happened. How you got here" 

She nodded and sat upright. " I can't remember much though"

" Just tell me what you can. Tell me what you did this morning, try to put as much detail as you can and only say what's necessary ok?"

"Alright" _ Squall…you sound like you interrogating me_

" I left my room in the hotel at about nine. I walked to the city hall, stopping to see Zone on the way then I went in. Caraway was there and we talked…and…and…"

" Yes?"

She held a hand to her forehead. " Its all kinda fuzzy…" He held onto her hand reassuringly and looked up smiling. With a newfound strength she continued. 

" I think I was speaking with someone and…he insulted me. Something about me being a sorceress…yeah that's it! I got angry and I ran out. Then I must have gone into the alleyway and…hit my head" 

It didn't sound too realistic. To go into an alleyway and hit your head. " The person that insulted you…was it a man or woman?"

" A man"

" Can you recall anything about what he said to you? Try to take your mind back to the moment"

She took a deep breath. " He said that I was going to turn evil or something. That because my ancestors were dictators…or something…that I would be like that too. I think. He was yelling an awful lot and saying something about his father…oh! And his brother"

" Did he touch you at all? Did he try to attack you?"

" No, no. It was all verbal. I'm sorry if this all kinda sketchy"

He shook his head and looked to the door. The nurse came in. She smiled warmly at the two and picked up Rinoa's chart. " Your friend Zone said he had to return to work urgently" Rinoa nodded and shuffled a bit. 

" Okay, you have a mild concussion so we'll need to keep you in overnight. You can go home tomorrow morning and we'll give you some strong painkillers to help with any headaches. For the next week or so we should warn you to settle down a bit and stay out of any activities involving sports, an enrolment in…"

_She must have said speeches like these thousands of times. She sounds so rehearsed… _Rinoa mused. She looked over at the girl again. Nothing had changed so she shifted her gaze back to the nurse.

"…and if anything should rise you'll need to let your doctor know or contact us" Squall said thankyou and the nurse left. 

" Squall what about Balamb?"

" I told Selphie and Zell to pack and tell Cid that we'll be a day late. So don't worry"

" How did you know it would only be a day?" She said this with a hint amusement and curiosity. "Oh… I just did," He answered.

..~**~..

Scribbles: This chapter wasn't as long as the others, but hey, it's a chapter. And that's gotta be top of the lot eh? 

**…**

**damnit…**

**Thanks for everyone who reviewed, I took your comments into consideration and I re-edited the 3rd chapter. So thanks everyone! Please review again and feel free to post any comments, feedback, blah blah blah and even flames…**

**_Just on a quick note_****, the girl with the burst appendix? She's actually real. I was in hospital for a while and there was a girl there on vacation. She missed out on her holiday…sniff. So yeah…I hope she's doing ok. **

**Okay…oh! Who else out there is from aust? I'm curious…**

**Thankyou to:**

Billie The Kid, PrincessMercury, Cherry6214, Chichiri's-Girl, Drifting Moomba, Angeles Erare, GOD, The Angel Of The Lion, Billie The Wild Angel

Heh, this is like a really long Author's Scribbles.

I'm writing this in advance so I can update weekly or more often (hint hint) so if you have any feedback be sure to tell me and I can change it straight away. Thanx!

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	7. Chapter 7: Yours Truly

Her Own World

****

**_Chapter 7:_**

Yours Truly 

..~**~..

The lights had dimmed and all noise floated away down the corridor. Her ears began humming in the silence and she sighed angry. Sleep was to be non-existent tonight it seemed. 

She tossed and she turned. She moaned and groaned. But no, sleep did not pay her any heed. Nor did it even consider her willingness to sleep for hours on end. She was an enemy to her most deprived feeling. 

_Damn you evil coffee! Damn you to hell! And take your forsaken caffeine with you!_

She was relieved that she only needed to stay one night here in the sleepless hospital. Tomorrow she called lean against the cushions in the train and doze to regular up-beat rhythm of steel hitting big thick railroad tracks. A pleasant thought, distant, but pleasant. 

And it was this such thought that enabled her to drift off…

To sleep.

..~**~..

" Hey sleepyhead" She leaned down and kissed his forehead. 

_She watched him smile in his sleep and pull the cover over his head. She heard a muffled reply from within. " Go away you evil pillow crazed sorceress" She laughed at his sarcasm and swept her feet over the bed. _

_The window was a few feet in front of her. She walked over slowly, taking in the tranquility and breathed deeply._

_I'm free…I'm alive_

_She closed her eyes and tilted her head back. Everything was lost to her and the only sounds she could hear was her own deep and steady breathing._

_A loud crash broke the silence and echoed throughout her brain._

_" Squall!"_

..~**~..

She ripped her eyes open. Making sure she was fully awake, she rubbed at them furiously and sat up. She was of course, greeted with the same white walls and endless wire equipment of the hospital. Beside her lie a single white rose on the bench.

She smiled and picked it up. It was freshly cut and smelt of…vanilla. 

_Maybe Squall…or a nurse…or Zone_

It didn't matter who really. All that mattered was the rose. Its scent filled her with happiness and just the glowing whiteness made her feel jumpy inside. Like a feeling of fulfillment…

" Good morning!"

Her moment was lost. The nurse opened the enormous curtains, waking everyone. Rinoa huffed angrily and placed the rose back on the bench. Silently she swept her legs over the side of the bed. She felt slightly dizzy when an intense feeling of dejavu crept over her. 

_ Such a weird dream…_

With her head tilted to one side, she brushed out her hair. Raven locks fell upon her shoulders and flicked her head to the other side. _In need of haircut_

" So I see your doing fine this morning Miss…" The nurse glanced at the chart. "…Rinoa Heartily" Rinoa smiled gratefully and pulled her hair up into a ponytail. She mumbled her thankyou and exited the room, headed for the bathroom, with her bag. Squall had fetched for her earlier. 

Once inside the unoccupied bathroom she pulled out some clothes, happy to be getting out her stupid bed gown. 

..~**~..

" I think this is false advertising. It says on the packet that it can clean off hard stains in seconds…its not working"

Zell rolled his eyes and pressed the cloth down on the bench harder while Selphie continued to babble on about 'false advertising'. He rubbed away at the bench. The enormous sauce stain disappeared immediately and he looked up with pure glee on his face.

" It does work Selphie! You just have to soak a bit, see"

" Well that's not what it says on the packet…" She grumbled.

Squall picked up a dishwashing cloth and rinsed it in the hot soapy water. He threw it over to Selphie. " Here" She turned around and grabbed it. " Okies" 

" Hey Squall when are you gonna go pick Rinoa up?" Zell asked. He yawned and sat back against the couch. 

" Right about now"

He picked up his jacket and walked out. He had decided to walk it. The hospital wasn't too far and Rinoa needed a bit of fresh air anyway. It wasn't exactly accurate, but he could have sworn that they used some sort of fly spray in place of air freshener. He was nearing the city hall when Zone ran out to greet him. He ran out from the Timber Maniacs office and skidded to a halt in front of him. 

" Squall! Are you going to see Rinoa?"

He nodded back and looked across the street to the hospital. " I'm picking her up actually. She was discharged today"

"Oh ok. Well tell her I said hi. I need to get back to work" With that, he spun around and walked back into the office. Someone yelled out to him from inside. It was barely audible, but Squall did hear something along the lines of, " Get your lazy…back to work you…I need those in by Tuesday!"

_Hard job_

He continued his way to the hospital. 

..~**~..

General Caraway sat in the slow moving train to Deling. He positioned himself more comfortably on the seat and placed another cushion on his lap. The paper in his hands rested neatly on it and held it closer to his view. Once again picking up the pen he began to write. A cadet beeped on the door, breaking his concentration. Rubbing his temple and grumpily called him in.

Junior cadet, Michael Wilson, walked in proudly and performed a well practiced salute in front he General. Once completed he stood at attention and began his report. 

" Everything seems to be in order sir. We'll be arriving in Deling in about two hours and President Loire will be there to greet you in front of the Caraway Mansion sir"

Caraway simply nodded and saluted the cadet. Michael, feeling extremely proud, walked briskly out of the cabin. For the second time, he pressed the pen to the paper and, as neatly as possible, continued writing.

~I cannot express how sorry I am at this point. I have about as little information as my officers and cadets on board but, I feel that you need to know our current situation. Next week the new president of Galbadia will be announced. There are few candidates, one of those being Vinzer Deling's son Vaun, and I was informed this morning that he seems to have the top vote. Somehow, through his strange workings, he managed to win over the public. 

There have been a few complications along the way. If Vaun is elected president, then certain rules and conditions may change. Such as the peace treat between Galbadia and Esthar. I do happen to know that he does not support this very well. 

Now that Timber has earned its independence, I feel the city may be in danger.

Please take this into concern. I am writing to you about this because you are my daughter and I care for you. I may not be able to speak to you or see you for some time after this. Our meeting at the city hall was my way of saying goodbye.

I promise Julia that I would protect you and keep you away from the harm of everyday politics. So by telling you this I only hope that you stay in true mind and heart. Remember you are the daughter of Julia Heartily and myself. Remember who you are.

Please keep a watch on Vaun… 

Yours Truly,

General Caraway.

He folded the letter and placed it inside a clean, simple white envelope. He wrote on the address and called to cadet Wilson. Immediately he entered the room with his firm salute.

" Sir"

He's bright and hopeful. Probably willing to prove himself. God opportunities arise each day…

" Cadet Wilson, I am giving you an assignment" At this the Michael straightened ever so slightly and the corner of his mouth moved up a hair. " This envelope conceals a very important document. It must be properly delivered"

" I'll make sure it is sir"

" Go to Balamb when we stop at the academy. This must be taken directly to Miss Ma Dincht. The address is sealed on top. Is that clear?"

" Yes sir!"

" Go to it then, be ready to get off and board your next train" The junior cadet saluted once more, took the envelope and began to make his way out. 

" Oh and Wilson"

"Yes Sir?"

" If it is not delivered to Miss Dincht and in not perfect condition, your rank will be swiped and I'll have you removed from my unit"

He gulped slightly and saluted the General once more before finally exiting. So now his career was resting on an envelope…

Back in the General's cabin, he placed a hand on his forehead and looked out the window. Closing his eyes, he secretly prayed his daughter would understand him. Just this once, maybe he could be given the chance to really protect to her. To call her his own.

Julia…I let you down

..~**~..

" Got everything?"

" Yeah…I think…so" She yawned. He picked up her bag and they began to walk down the corridor. A thought entered her mind and she took one giant step in front and spun around to face him. He stopped in front of her and raised and eyebrow.

" Hey Squall, how long until we have to leave for Balamb?"

" About an hour or so"

" Oh…ok. Do you mind if we stop by the pub for just a few minutes on the way to the train station?"

He frowned and nodded. " Sure" She smiled widely and turned on her heel, both arms behind her back continued walking with a happy stride. Behind her, Squall tapped her on the shoulder. " Hey Rin, why do you want to go a pub?"

She looked down, smiling from ear to ear.

" Because that's where the Forest Owls are stationed now"

..~**~..

**Scribbles: Aha! I have done it again. The seventh chapter. Now, just follow the yellow brick road all the way down to the review button.**

**Thankyou!**

**~Karla**


	8. Chapter 8: Skyward

Her Own World

****

**_Chapter 8:_**

****

Skyward 

..~**~..

" Rinoa! How nice to see you!" The overly large woman made her way over to Rinoa. She smiled haughtily and squeezed her up in an enormous hug. " Nice to see you too Martha" Almost dying from the pressure Rinoa sent a quick glance to her comrades. Selphie got the message clear and walked over to the two. " Hey, do you mind if I get a really quick tour of this place? I remember when it was in the train and all…but I've never been here"

Immediately Martha let Rinoa go and walked briskly over to the small SeeD. " Of course you can! Now just follow me through here and keep your head low, those two messenger boys don't even know…" As Selphie and Martha walked off Zell studied his surroundings in a quick glance and walked over to one of the tech men. Squall looked over at Rinoa. " Feeling ok?" She yawned slightly and sat down on the long seat next to her. Squall followed and stayed silent. " Yeah I'm just still a little tired but it should wear off soon" He nodded back and crossed his arms.

The Forest Owls had come a long way. Their train had been previously destroyed and now their new leader, Martha, had set up a small area at the back of the pub for their new grounds. It was a low maintenance three-room corridor with one large room filled with maps and computers. In the center a large oak table was spread out across the room, filling up a large portion of space. Rinoa slouched back and closed her eyes. Listening intently to the soft playing piano music Zone had put on. It was meant to create a pleasant mood. She was slightly startled at the sound of Selphie's voice. " Hey we should go now. Don't want to miss our train now do we?" Rinoa nodded back slowly and stood. 

..~**~..

Later, Squall leaned against the window in the train looking out on the sky. The first purple-bellied storm clouds blew in from the south on strong humid wind. Rinoa appeared beside him. She leaned up against his shoulder and sighed. " So…we won" Squall closed his eyes. " It would seem that way, yes" Rinoa turned to look out at the gathering storm. " But how. It was all just some silly debate. It won Timber's independence. Something no one could do for the last ten years" Squall reopened his eyes and looked at her. " What are you saying?" He said softly. The dark underside of the cloud flickered with lightning. Far off the sound of thunder rolled over the landscape. He saw a flash of blue lightning reflect off her hair. " I'm saying that maybe this was all a set up. Maybe we were guaranteed to win" Upon saying this she brushed a piece of fallen hair out of her face. " Maybe…" She shook her head. 

" You know what, maybe I'm just paranoid. I am a sorceress after all and I get too sketchy about my feelings…I'm going to go and lay down" She shook her head and walked off into the cabin. Zell had fallen asleep and Selphie had resided to the top of her bunk with earphones. Squall continued to look out at the storm. _ You have no idea how much I want to understand you better Rinoa_

The first droplets of rain began to splutter against the window. He leaned back and sighed. Rinoa had stretched out on the couch and leaned up against some cushions. She smiled contently and laid still. His eyes settled in the distance. _Not long now…_ He heard a soft thump. Turning around, he saw that Selphie's earphones had fallen and were now dangling over the side of the bed. She was fast asleep. He sat down on the end of the couch and leaned forward, closing his eyes again in deep thought. 

_ Approximately fifteen minutes of brooding before we stop at Balamb_

He placed a hand to his forehead. _ Rinoa…I need to have that talk with her. She's not telling me everything. Mental note in mental checklist. Top priority. Remember to speak with Rinoa. I must remember…I must remember…I must remember… _

He subconsciously smiled. It was strange the way his mind worked. If anyone could poke their way into it, they would certainly have a laugh. Remembering himself, he looked over at the sleeping Rinoa. One arm dangled over the side of the couch. 

Edea might know. She was once a sorceress after all. I can only hope it has something to do with her sorcery. Maybe then I'll know its nothing to do with me…no…don't think like that He leaned back and rested his head in his arms. Her speech…it was so perfect. And yet, she hadn't even rehearsed or even prepared that much. Everyone else, especially Caraway, they all sounded so rehearsed. So…boring. Is that how I sound? 

He sat silent for a minute, contemplating this, then walked over to Selphie and Zell. 

" Wake up you two, we'll be there in a minute so get ready" Zell yawned loudly and attempted to roll on his side… but got himself caught in the sheets and fell off the bed completely. Selphie jumped down, missing him by a hair. She kicked the lump on the ground and laughed. " Zell stop foolin around!" 

Rinoa had woken up and sat on the couch, leaned over. She reached her arms up and yawned. " Are we – "

Squall spun around. " - Don't say it" He smiled.

Zell sat up and grinned mischievously. He placed the sheets back on the bed. 

" There yet"

..~**~..

" So yeah, Ma said she was going to cook some hotdogs for us and show us some new photo's of her trip down to Trabia. She was saying how much she liked the cold. It was a nice change from…"

Squall ignored Zell's ramblings for the moment and looked around the busy streets of Balamb. Every so often he would look over at Rinoa. She seemed to be doing fine. 

They stopped at Ma Dincht's house. Zell knocked on the door and stepped back. Ma appeared and greeted them with an enormous smiled. " Welcome! I hope your hungry!" She stepped aside and let them in. Squall blinked his eyes a few times. It was hard to get used to the dimness of the room. He looked over at Rinoa. She sat down on the couch while Ma ran into the kitchen. Zell sat down on the rug and Selphie walked into the dining area. She returned with a few plates. 

" Here!" She happily placed them on he ground and sat next to Zell. Squall walked over to Rinoa and sat down. " Hey…" She looked up and blew a strand of hair from her face. 

" I never got to have that talk with you" Yes! I remembered! Go Squall!

She shrugged. " After we leave here we can go and sit by the jetty. We'll talk then…oh and by the way, why are we here?"

" Cid wanted us to do something for some new client…I'm not sure. He'll contact us soon"

" Okay…" 

Ma walked into the room with a bowl full of ready made hotdogs. She placed them on the ground and grinned. " All right you lot, eat up" The she walked over to Rinoa. " Hey, some army guy dropped this off and said to give to you" 

She handed her the clear white envelope. On the back were two simple words written in black spidery letters.

Rinoa Heartily

She took out the letter and began reading. While she read, Squall got up and walked into the dining room, where Ma was busily sweeping. She turned around and smiled when she saw him enter.

" What can I do for you Squall?"

He hesitated. She might get angry "Uh…I" She could easily pound me to the ground…I wont be able to fight back…I'm no assassin… "Rinoa and I…"

She put down her broom. " Come out with it dear" 

Oh well… " Rinoa has been having…a few problems lately and…we really need to talk. It's important. So would it be okay if…we went to the jetty now? I know that you spent all this – "

Her eyes lit up. " – Is she pregnant! Oh please tell me, I can't help out with everything!"

What the hell?! " Err…no…no it's not that. Its not anything like that its just…uh"

" Its okay you can tell me"

" Really it isn't" What is it with her and Rinoa being pregnant! " I just need to talk to her"

" Okay okay. Be back later though all right?"

" Yes, thanks, we will"

He exited the dining room, shaking his head. Sad… He saw Selphie and Zell on the ground eating and Rinoa on the couch behind them still. Her expression worried him. The letter was still in her hands. 

" Uh…Rin…you ok?"

She looked up as if noticing him for the first time and nodded slowly. He sat next to her and stared. " I'm not leaving until you tell me Rin…" She grinned and looked over.

" Oh…did I want you to leave?" She teased. He leaned back and took the letter. She shrugged and looked over at Selphie and Zell. " Its from my…father. Its just about the election, that's all" 

He gave it back to her. " Mrs. Dincht has allowed us to leave to the Jetty…or would you prefer hotdogs?"

" Of course I want to go with you to the jetty. Besides… I'm not sure if there's any left" She whispered, with a glance at the floor. 

**Scribbles: All right…maybe this is the shortest chapter. Please stay with me. This one is (as you may have guessed) going to be long. **

**Please review.**

**Please? Pretty Please?**

**…Pl – ok! I'll shut up…**


	9. Chapter 9: The Beginning

Her Own World 

**__**

_Chapter 9: _The Beginning

_Should I tell him about the dreams?_

Rinoa jumped up from the curb and looked into the sunshine. It burned her glossy pupils and made them water. Frowning she held her hand up. _Yes…he needs to know everything _Squall looked across the street and at both ends of the road. He nodded in satisfaction and they crossed over. _ Oh but what if he overreacts…No wait…He's Squall Leonheart. He'll think it through rationally and come up with a way of combating it. Yeah. That sounds like the Squall I know_

They reached the jetty. Squall sat by the edge and looked down at the water below his dangling feet. Rinoa stood beside him, looking out on the horizon. 

" So…" He began, " We came here to talk. I noticed you've been acting a little…strangely lately. Not meaning to sound rude or anything…" She smiled fondly and let him continue. " Like in the training center before…you remember?" The memory came back and she inwardly grimaced, but sent him an encouraging smile. " Well…I think that may have had something to do with your sorcery. You are new to it all and everything. On that note, has anything happened that you're not telling me about?"

She bit her lip. _Now or never _" Yes…I have been keeping a few things from you" She lowered herself down and looked into the depths of the ocean. Her eyes filled with sadness and she steadily avoided his gaze. " Your probably right about it being my sorcery, you know?" She waited for a moment before continuing. " Because I've been having these strange dreams. You were in one of them…well maybe in both but I don't know. The first was…horrible to say the least and the next one was…well it just felt as if it was a premonition more than anything else. Because it felt so nice. I felt like I was free and being alone with you like that was something I had dreamed about for so long…" She realized she was talking to herself more than anything.

Remembering Squall, she turned to face him. "Sorry… I think I got caught up" He shook his head. " No, no…continue" Taking that as a good sign she regained her recent composure and continued on.

" Well…I suppose I should describe them. The first was a war. I was a witness and somehow I felt responsible too. I was happy to see people die… and sad too. I think you were there with me" She gazed at him with pleading eyes. " Please don't think of me as crazy…just listen ok?"

" I am, don't worry" He said, reassuring.

 She didn't want to go into detail of the first dream much…so she moved on." The second dream I was in a…hotel room. I was lying asleep in bed next to you and I tried to wake you up. You said something funny and I got up and walked to the window. Someone knocked on the door and…that was it. Nothing drastic"

_At the hotel in Timber…_

Her eyes lit up as she remembered. " Oh…and when we were staying at the hotel in Timber…I fainted" Her voice carried this message as if it were just any topic. His eyes turned worried. " You fainted? Why?"

She shrugged. " I don't know. But the more interesting part…was what I saw when I was unconscious. I had a vision. I was back at Ultimecia's Castle…"

Squall's face registered shock as he turned to face her again. She held her hand up to him and shook her head. " Just let me finish…" She said.

" That's not all. Someone was talking to me. I think it was someone I know. He was male. But I just couldn't place it. He asked me about Ultimecia and something about her time blending with mine…that's all he told me before I woke up again and you came in"

Squall sighed and hung his head in hands, clearly frustrated. " Rin, this is serious. You should have told me straight away! What if she's trying to posses you again!" Rinoa became taken back by his sudden anger. " Squall…I'm sorry…I was just scared" His face softened and he lifted his head again. _Oops… _He mentally hit himself. " Rin…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been angry. Listen, just keep this our secret until we get back to Garden, then we can contact Laguna…okay?"

She nodded thankfully and wrapped her arms around him. " Thanks" A thought came to his head and grinned. " And what was that about you saying I said something funny? It probably wasn't me then you know…" She rolled her eyes and returned the grin. " Quiet you"

..~**~..

 When they returned to the Dincht's place. Selphie was bouncing around the room happily and Zell was busily talking with Ma. 

" Did we miss something?" Squall asked. 

Noticing them for the first time, Selphie ran over to him. " We contacted Cid, and he said there is no client and this isn't a mission. He just wants us to take a holiday!" She said extremely fast with a squeal. " So I'm going to take Irvy to Trabia, Zell is staying here with Ma…"

Zell looked over. " And you and Rinoa can have some quality time together" He said with a wink._ That sounds like something Irvine would say…_ Squall rolled his eyes and turned to Rinoa. " Hey, since we're officially on vacation now, do you want to go Esthar and see Laguna and Elle directly?" 

She nodded and added happily, " Yeah then lets go to a beach resort or something!" He smiled back. " Sure" Squall looked over at the others. " When are we expected back at Garden?" Selphie grinned even wider. " We have a month!"

" A whole month?"

" Yep!"

Squall sighed but smiled too. A month seemed a little bit too long…but what the heck. He needed a holiday. And some 'quality time' with Rinoa. He looked over to where their bags were. " We'll take the ragnarok and head straight over to Esthar" He told them, " If you need to contact us, just radio or mobile" They all nodded. 

" Rin, have a look around town and get anything you need ok?" She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek as a reply and walked briskly out the door. Shopping was the key to a woman's heart it seemed. " Selphie, when are you guys leaving?"

Zell answered. " Tomorrow. We're going to stay here for the night"

" Okay"

..~**~..

"Do you remember this?" Rinoa asked. Squall looked over to where she was seated. Rinoa was leaning on the driver's seat, her finger pressed lightly on the non-gravity switch. He rolled his eyes and didn't answer. He didn't need to. She took this as a yes…and switched it. Almost immediately the atmosphere around them turned hazy. Her eyes ached and for the slightest second a lump came up in her throat. She swallowed it down and smiled. Her feet had become slightly unwanting to touch the ground. 

Squall's mouth moved up a hair at the corner when he remembered. How could he forget? He was about to reply with one of his rare sarcastic remarks when something caught his eyes…

With a hint of curiosity, she held onto the seat and lifted her feet up…they stayed up. Hovering just above the ground. She giggled happily and let go of the seat. " Hey Squall! Look!" She floated down to the ground, just inches away from it, and stretched out in a laying position. " I could fall asleep like this…" 

Squall had motioned to look over for a slight second. But never turned his eyes away from the crumpled piece of paper in his hands. He had found it lying on the ground, clear as day, for him to pick up. He suddenly felt nauseous as the picture registered in his mind.

It was a photo. A very old photo. And it wasn't the fact of how old it looked…but what was in the photo. A pang of shock spread through his body as he realized who it was… 

..~**~..

" Quisty…I'm bored"

"Irvine Kinneas please refrain from telling me how bored you are again, I plan on staying sane for the next hour"

" But I _am _bored. I should be out doing stuff! Like, you know, hunting down some young chocobo's and picking em' off! Then when the mother chocobo comes I let her chase me down for a while and then I turn around at the last minute and…BAM!…Just imagine a lot of yellow feathers slowly drifting down…" He jumped up at his last scene and chuckled mildly.

" Sure…I'll get it for you at Christmas…" Quistis absentmindedly mumbled. Irvine cocked his head to the side in confusion yet said nothing. Giving up, Quistis sat up in frustration and headed for the headmasters office, muttering something along the lines of, "This is so…I cant believe that I…I knew I should have…" Irvine sighed over dramatically and sat back down, continuing his fantasies of chocobo's. While he dreamed, a smile spread across his face. 

Inside the office, Quistis had lowered her expression to a mere mask of nothing. She looked Cid directly in the eye. " Sir…are you going to be assigning Irvine and I a mission…or do you not need us anymore?" She had tried desperately to rid her voice of any hint of annoyance…but failed. Cid sighed sadly and sat down.

" Oh…Quistis, sorry. Yes you and Irvine can go now. Squall, Selphie, Zell and Rinoa will most likely not be returning to Garden anytime soon…although I think Selphie may…but you are both dismissed for the remaining month"

"Uh…pardon sir?"

" You are all officially on vacation. It is up to you what you wish to spend your time with, now, dismissed"

She numbly walked out of the office and back into the reception. Irvine was asleep on the couch. She sat down next to him and grinned.

_Holiday! _

**_Scribbles: _**That's right! Holiday! School is over for two weeks! Yipee! Please please fulfill my holiday wish and review!


	10. Chapter 10: Shadows

Her Own World 

**__**

Chapter 10: Shadows 

(Warning of slight horror at the very end of this chapter…but its not that bad, honest) 

--------------------

"Resisting change is like holding your breath…if you succeed, you die!"

- Unknown

--------------------

He lightly traced his thumb over the crinkled surface. Every detail implanted itself into his head. The smiles…the setting…the people in it. Even the aura coming off them. It all seemed so impossible. 

The photo was of him and Rinoa. He had never seen it before. Rinoa looked extremely happy, and he himself looked overjoyed. They were both holding up their hands to the camera to show…_wedding rings._

He unconsciously looked at his own hand, although he already knew there was no ring there. There was something wrong here…

_How…how can this be? _He held the photo closer to his eyes to examine the two people more closely. _We're not married damnit! We never took this photo…I never wore that jacket and I have never seen Rinoa wear that dress before…which is odd…because she look really good in it too…ack! Stay focused!_

" Hey Squall…could you bring the champagne bottle over please" He looked up. 

_Champagne?_

"Uhh…we have champagne?" He raised an eyebrow at his question. Rinoa giggled and spun herself around the air a few times. " No silly, I was just making sure your still alive" 

He nodded and went back to the photo. _No point in worrying about this right now…Rinoa needs my support, not a  crummy photo _He placed it in his jacket and tried to walk over to her, but his feet left the ground…and never touched it again. So instead, _he floated _over to her. She came down to meet him and wrapped her arms around him.

" How long until we reach Esthar?" She asked. He looked over at the monitor. " Hmmm, about three hours" She smiled thoughtfully, her hair waving around her like smoke as she moved. " Isn't it nice to have the burden of gravity lifted from you…and literally just feel weightless?"

He smirked. " Why…were you planning on loosing wait?" She laughed, burying her face in his jacket and punched his shoulder lightly. " No really…doesn't it feel nice?"

" Yes I suppose. But that burden you talking about, gravity, well it just happens to keep everything on the ground you know. Or did you not pay attention in science at all in school?"

She narrowed her eyes and grinned. "I think you need to be taken back in treatment for making smart remarks at your girlfriend" With that, she sealed the gap between them with a kiss.

But, in the corner of the ship, watching both of them, a dark figure shook his head slowly and faded back out of existence…

..~**~..

_"So how goes your mission?" She asked. He leaned his head back and sighed. "Its not working. I fear that we have failed this time again" _

_She frowned. " No, we're not giving up. There has to be another way…there just has to be" She reached forward, grabbing him by the shoulders. He looked down, not wanting to look her in the eyes. _

_" Quistis I'm sorry…but I've failed…we have failed. If someone can save your time now, it's not going to be me. I'm sorry" _

_She couldn't take it. She let go and turned around. Looking out the window. Another explosion sent vibrations down it, almost putting it to shattering point. _

_" Is this how I'm going to die?" A tear rolled down her cheek as the man behind her disappeared. _

..~**~..

Michael Wilson was not one to disobey orders…but he couldn't help but notice how tense the soldiers around him had become when Vaun had walked in the room. Everyone had been a little hesitant to follow his orders and talk had been wandering…

Quietly he had slipped in into the communications room, past the briefing office. His friend, Windell, was still seated at her usual spot in front of the glowing blue screen.

"Windell…" He whispered. She turned around in the moving seat and her eyes shot up. 

" Michael! What the hell are you doing here!?"

"Shhh! I need you to help me"

She frowned and crossed her arms. "Michael, you should be at your post"

" Yeah I know, but I really need your help on something. Its to do with Vaun Deling" He handed her a yellow folder. She took it from him and opened it while he spoke. " Vaun has been receiving the top vote apparently and its anyone's guess that he's going to make president…but why is everyone so…well, tense around him?"

She looked over at the door before speaking. Now was not a good time to be intruded on.

" Vaun has been working in the military for years now. He was a general for his last year and was supposed to be promoted. But there was an accident near Dollet and…well he was incapable of being in the field"

" In Dollet? What was he doing there?"

" It doesn't matter. He was angry of course and now everyone thinks he's going to be the same dictator as Vinzer Deling was"

" But they don't have enough information to prove that. Don't you think it's a little early?"

" I don't know…but he has been showing a few signs though…" 

" Maybe but I'm still not convinced. Keep that with you" He motioned to the folder. 

" I'm going to find more out"

..~**~..

" Hey Rinoa. Nice to see you again"

" Nice to see you too Elle"

The two girls hugged for a brief moment then drew their attention to the man beside them. Laguna grinned and motioned to the presidential palace.  " Well shall we?"

Rinoa nodded happily and leaned over to Squall as they walked in. " Hey Squall maybe you and your _father _can have a nice chat? I think it would do you good" He knew she had good intentions, but he dismissed it with a wave of his hand. 

They all headed inside and made it to Laguna's office. Once inside they began to explain the task at hand. Squall spoke first.

" Laguna, we need to speak with Dr. Odine. It's to do with Rinoa's sorcery. She's been encountering a few difficulties lately and we think that has something to do with it"

Laguna nodded and leaned back slightly. " He's out on business at the moment but he'll be back this afternoon, so you can wait around for him…if you want…you know there's no one pressuring to stay. If you want to just – "

" - Thankyou Laguna, we'll gladly stay" Rinoa said.

Once outside the office, Squall turned to her. " Hey Rin, Laguna said we can stay here at the palace and…I've decided to take you up on that offer…" She looked puzzled. " What offer?…oh…that one" She grinned mischievously and swiveled around on one foot. " So I guess you couldn't be swayed from the sorceress's grip hey?"

" I'm going to see him now, what are you going to do?" He ignored her last comment but, he couldn't swipe the smile off his face.

" Well…I'll go and have a look around Esthar…" At the note of her last sentence she had walked out of the hall and out of sight.

..~**~..

The busy streets of Esthar did send her patience a little off course and she felt a sudden pull of claustrophobia coming over her, but she stayed on track and kept her face focused. 

Everyone around her pushed and shoved, hustled and bustled. She had to stop at one point just re-compose herself. 

When she could handle it no longer, she resided to a bench, just on the side of one of the transparent bridges, looming high in the city. She sat down, taking a few deep breaths and looked into the crowd.

And time stopped…

She saw him again…or it. She recognized this person from the crowd in Timber. The same black trench coat. The hood, covering their face in darkness, despite the sunny weather. Perhaps this time she could pursue the chase that she had wished to begin back at Timber. 

She rose from her seat and walked toward them. Whoever it was, they turned and began walking down through the mass of people. None of them seemed to notice him/her, and neither did they push past him or bump him out of course. As they did to her. She continued on, like a wolf hunting down its prey and following the bloody trail. He turned abruptly and vanished. She too stopped and stood still. 

Suddenly, a feeling of anger washed over her.

_Stupid…stupid…stupid! I can't believe I'm doing this. I've gone mad _She turned away and walked the opposite direction. _ He…her…it…is a figure of my imagination, nothing more _

Becoming more and more angry with herself she sped off, down an empty street and to a back alley that no one would dare to disturb her. There she recoiled the recent events and tried to calm herself.

" No one normally comes down here…" Her head jolted to the sound of the voice. An old man, presumable a homeless one, was standing to her right. It seemed she had invaded his personal space.

" I...I..." Her lips continued to move but no sound was present, she managed to utter a final squeak and slumped down to the ground.

" Sorry…" She finally muttered.

_Sorry for what? He was the one that did it, not you!_

_What did he do? What am I accusing him of?…I don't know_

He moved closer to her. " Are you okay miss?" 

She bolted upright and stumbled backward. " Get the hell away from me!" She screamed, in blind rage. Her fury shown through her eyes and unconsciously she lifted her hand to shield herself. He stepped back with an apologetic face. Uttering his 'sorry'.

She didn't care for what he said. _He's going to hurt me…he hates just like that man did _The memory of the man in the Timber City Hall came back and she gritted her teeth in annoyance. Pain flapped through her brain and for the next fifteen minutes of her life…she was no longer in control of her actions. 

She didn't see the horror on the mans face as she advanced toward him. She didn't hear his scream as she plunged down into his body, ripping him apart. She didn't even feel the blood that coursed out like rivers of death, down the small back alleyway.

..~**~..

**_Author's Long and Important Scribbles:_**

****

I sure hope I didn't scare anyone away with that last bit…

Anyway, I just wanted to say that…I feel as if I'm carrying this story on too much and it really is taking too long to get into it. But please stay with me. You will notice in the future that a lot of author's have written fiction similar to this, but I doubt many of them have gone this far and at this much detail/length as I have. So please, stay with me.

I would like to say a special thanks to:

**_Chichiri's-girl_**

****

She has been with me almost the whole way and her supportive comments have always been inspiring and helpful. Thankyou.

And thankyou to everyone else that has stuck with me so far. More elaborate thankyou's are in store for next chapter. 


	11. Chapter 11: Yesterday

**_Her Own World_**

**__**

_Chapter 11: Yesterday_

Her breathing was slow and constant throughout the nightmare.

She tossed and turned, pulling the bed sheets around her more tightly as she fought the demons of her mind, in the living reality of her sleep. She dreamt of terror, she dreamt of a storm reaching out from the heavens and killing all she loved…all she held dear. Her nightmare changed, within each minute, from something horrible to more terrifying and it never seemed to go away. When all seemed lost, from within the room her eyes darted open and she shot up straight gasping for air. Immediately she threw her hand to her neck, grateful to feel the metallic rings still entwined at her neck. Slowly, as if scared of a monster in the shadows under her, she crawled out of bed and cautiously made her way into the bathroom. 

When she turned on the light, she saw memories of the previously night flood back…

She remembered the way she had scrambled to the apartment, unseen, and into the bathroom. She remembered trying desperately to wash the blood from her skin and cleanse her self of pity. And most of all she remembered lying down in corner of the room, listening to the shower running in the background, crying her heart out and wishing to be dead. She had wished for her soul to escape and her body to be released from the nightmare she knew she would be living from now on. 

She had killed. He was innocent. And she had killed him. Her heart wrenched as she recalled ripping into him…spilling blood down her clothes and arms. What she did after that…perhaps she would never find out. Nothing seemed to come together properly. Just in tiny pieces. Tiny pieces that didn't yet make much sense. He would be back soon. And she knew suspicion would definitely rise if he saw the bathroom in its current state. So she picked up a towel, soaked it thoroughly and began cleaning.

Slowly, as if trying not to wake her, he stepped into the apartment. She had previously slipped on a nightgown and fallen back asleep in the enormous bed. He walked to the bedside and bent down next to her. Her eyes fluttered open…and for a moment they just stared at each other, happy for the close comfort they provided. He joined her a few minutes later, and turned over to face him. She needed him to talk to her…she needed human contact. 

"Come on please…talk to me" She reached her hand under the pillow and propped herself up on one elbow. He lie down on his back, staring up at the ceiling. A few moments passed before she closed her eyes and listened to the almost silent hum of the whirling fan. "Laguna and I talked mostly about Raine…he figured that I deserved to know about my mother" Rinoa re-opened her eyes and tuned into the sound of his soft melodic voice. "I suppose speaking civilly to him was easier than I first thought" He sighed almost regrettably and turned to face her. 

"How do you do it?" He asked.

"Do what?"

"Speak to me as if your thoughts aren't private. Almost as if handing me your diary. Doesn't it ever leave you bare?" She looked up thoughtfully. "Speaking my thoughts…I guess I just want us to be on the same level. It's like, we come from completely different backgrounds and I want you to get the same high that I get from everyday life"

"There you go again" He smiled. "I'll adapt eventually" He closed his eyes as if closing the subject and she carefully slipped her hand into his. _Maybe you will understand Squall _She fell asleep with a clear mind and a feeling of peace. 

..~**~..

"It's like…the entire country is one giant piece of cake. And I am now the chef. I am now the person who decides whether or not to save the delicious morsel or devour its contents…do you agree Richard?"

Richard Caraway slowing tore his eyes from the window and looked slowly at the new President of Deling. "I agree that you are now the most powerful man in the world Mr. President…but I don't agree that it is you who decides the fate of the people in this nation" Vaun snickered cruelly at the older man and spun around in his office chair, behind his enormous oak desk. "Then whose decision is it?"

"_The people_. They decide what happens…sir" 

"But without a sturdy leader such as myself…they have no guidance, no need to put up with the big picture and earn their living. No. If I am to go, they too will" He stood up and smoothed his uniform down. "It's more important matters that I wish to discuss with you though. Only you alone know more about the Sorceress than I and I can imagine you know what I need"

Richard's eyes narrowed, but he kept a cool exterior. "What do need of her? She's not causing any problems"

"But she will. Right now she is merely an innocent victim of a cruel cycle that exists, even today. When she dies, her powers will be forced onto another victim and so the cycle will never end. Because I'm sure you're fully aware, General Caraway, that _everyone _dies"

"But I still don't understand. What do you need to know about her?"

President Vaun continued on as if the Generals comment had meant nothing. "Adel…Edea…Ultimecia…they have all been a burden in our world. Causing chaos and destruction throughout our simple frame of life. Though some will say that Edea was under the influence of another…it still doesn't take numbers away from the body count does it? Rinoa is simply one of them. And the need for destruction will consume her. She will follow the path of her ancestors and deprive the living of their status" He clasped his arms behind his back, business like, and looked down upon Richard Caraway with deep emotion. "Don't deny it General. It will only consume you" 

Yet, still, he stayed calm and collected. "Perhaps in the matter of her ancestors, you are right Mr. President. But Rinoa Heartily is not in the same position as they were, nor will she ever be. She has different values. We can set a better future for our world because she has no desire to cause pain upon it" He leaned forward in his chair, almost expected for the President to suddenly burst out laughing at his approach to sound optimistic. But instead he nodded his head thoughtfully and brought a hand to his chin. "General…eventually things will change. Her _values _will severely expand into more developed ideas and she will begin to look at the world less approachably. I don't mean to seem cruel when I say this, but putting her into the Sorceress Memorial will prevent any future problems and complications"

Finally, his temper reached an all time high and bolted up from his seated position. "You know that's not true! You can't just _assume that all of this is going to happen. The previous sorceress's had certain goals and needs to support themselves. They had a need for _power_. A desire! Rinoa doesn't need any of this…she has people to love her and the trust of the inhabitants of this world. How can you expect to rule a nation based on the fact that if a problem arises…simply lock it up and deal with it another day?! I'll be damned before you lock her up in that accursed place!" _

"Then consider yourself damned"

..~**~..

_"Rinoa…I need you to do something for me…" He asked. She looked up, her eyes tired and weary. He put his hand into hers and held it up for her to see. "Look closely. I will _never _let you go. I will _never _abandon you. Don't start saying we're not going to make it…because I know we will"_

_She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. "Oh Squall…why did it have to end like this?"_

She lifted her head up from the pillow and rubbed her cheeks. Perspiration ran down her face and rested at her chin. Retreating to the bathroom, she washed cold water over her head and stared at her reflection in the mirror. A cold feeling crept down her spine and a lump formed in her throat.

_I understand now. I know what I'm being shown. This is destiny _She slowly slid down the wall and rested on a pile of towels. _Everything…the fire, the chaos, the words and the feelings…they're all going to come true_

_I'm going to go crazy…and Squall; you'll be brought down with me_ She closed her eyes and steadied herself on the clothes stand. As sleep fed its way into her mind once more, a single tear spilled down her pale cheek, as if in confirmation of her thoughts. 

_---_

I promised some elaborate thankyous didn't I? Here goes.

_Drifting Moomba: _Yes I agree. Detail is important. I wonder though, am I putting too much in?

_Chichiri's girl: _Sorry, I haven't gotten around to reading your fics; I'll do it right now. I loved your review. It was very sweet and kind. 

_The Angel of the Lion: _As always you make a good point. Thank you for once again making me feel happy. 

_Princess Mercury: _Unfortunately I didn't update as much as I wanted to…sorry. And now the Christmas holidays will get in the way. Doh. Thank you for such an uplifting review. 

I'm going on holidays for Christmas and so updating _again will probably not be until next year. Most likely I'll try to squeeze chapter 12 in before I leave, but don't get your hopes up too high._

But for now, Merry Christmas and have a happy new year.


	12. Chapter 12: Dawn

**_Her Own World_**

**__**

_Chapter 12: Dawn_

_"Destiny is not a matter of chance – it is a matter of choice. Destiny is not something to be waited for; it is something to be achieved"_

_-_ Jeremy Kitson

~

She rolled over and yawned. Her head hit something hard and she opened her eyes to see the base of the shower. Small lines of water dribbled out from the tiles and onto her hair, leaving a small portion of her hair wet. Rinoa frowned and sat up. Not only had she neglected to turn off the lights in the bathroom and left the shower dripping, she had fallen asleep there too.

_Oops… _

Squall appeared in the doorway. He ran over, his voice full of panic. 

"Rinoa!" He bent to her and wrapped his arms around her. "I was so worried…I woke up and you were gone. I thought something had happened…" 

She smiled and pulled away to look at his face. "Why?" Her voice was slightly croaky and her eyes drooped with fatigue. "I was just here…why were you so worried? What did you think I'd done?" Guilt began to rise in the pit of her stomach. 

_Does he know?!_

 He shook his head and tightened their embrace, standing up and lifting her up with him. "It doesn't matter…" He mumbled. "I was just worried with all this weird stuff going on lately" He lowered her into the bed and pulled the covers over her. 

"Thank you" She whispered, and closed her eyes. "Today we can have a talk with Ellone, and if she can't help us then we can talk to Edea"

"And if she can't help us?" He asked softly. She looked up at him and placed a hand on the side of his face. "Then we have each other…" She felt the corners of his mouth move up and he lay down next to her. 

_I'll tell him…soon...and he'll understand_

..~**~..

_She paced up and down, her hands behind her back._

_"Damnit…" She muttered. Squall looked up, sitting in the corner of the room and cocked his head to the side. "What?"_

_Rinoa stopped and turned on her heel to face him. "I can't get rid of them. I'm not strong enough to. My powers are still weak from before. They have an army this time…you saw it as well" She brought her hands up to her head. "They'll be able to get through. They'll get to us…unless…"_

_"What are you thinking?"_

_A cruel smile formed on her lips and she looked him in the eyes. He began to feel uneasy and tried to look away. Somehow, she held his gaze._

_"I may not have the power to defeat them…but I can give _you _the power to…Imagine it Squall. You'll be so strong and so undefeatable…I'll make you immortal!" She ran over and through her arms around him. "Will you do it?!"_

_"Yes. Anything for you"_

_Her smiled increased and she kissed him lightly above his eyes. "Then let's begin. We need to get them where it'll hurt. Right in the center" Placing her hands in his, she slowly stood, taking him up with her. His face was inches from hers. "Then…when they've turned their backs on us…we'll strike. Or better yet... you will" _

_A warm surge of energy began to filter through her fingertips and enter his body. He closed his eyes as the aura became stronger…_

..~**~..

"Squall!" She burst forward. As a few beads of sweat trickled down her face. She placed her hand on the pillow next to her. He was gone. 

"Oh no…" She wailed. "Oh no…where are you?!" She stepped out of bed and almost began to run when she saw a white piece of paper on his pillow. Carefully she picked it up. 

_Rinoa,_

_I've gone to see Laguna quickly. I'll be back at 10._

She sat back down in a depression of blankets. Slowly she lowered herself onto the bed. She was still shaking from her dream. Out of mostly tiredness and defeat, she lay back down and cried, curling her legs up around her. She stifled her sobs into a pillow and punched the mattress with her free hand. 

Someone had been showing her the future.

Telling her what she was going to do. Who she was going to hurt. How bad she would feel when the realization hit her that she had taken innocent lives. 

_But the person I see in my dreams…myself…she has no guilt. She understands what she's doing and she doesn't care!_

She tried to push the thought away…but she couldn't escape it. She lifted her head from the tear stained pillow. 

_But why do I need to know? To prevent it? How do you change the future…I already know you can't change the past. But what about the future… Maybe I can't. Maybe it's all a lost cause and I can't change who I am_

"Squall…"

_I don't even know what's going on…I'm still confused. But atleast I know what I need to do. I can't change anything. I'll let time flow and everything will fall in place_

"It doesn't matter!" She yelled, throwing a pillow across the room. "Just go the hell away! I don't need this!" Even fighting the demons of her sleep weren't enough. She resorted to fighting herself. 

_"I'm only trying to help you"_

"I don't need you help damnit!"

_"Please Rinoa…"_

"Go away!"

_"Goodbye"_

She waited. But they didn't return. She hadn't even expected anyone to speak to her in the first place. But when that voice had spoken…she knew it was the same one she had heard in the hotel room, the day that seemed so far away now. She recognized the voice…but it never seemed to come to her.

Until now.

"Oh my god…Squall…" She threw her hands to her head. "It was you…you spoke to me. In my dream…just now. It was you all along. You're the one I followed…the one that's been stalking me this whole time. How?" She looked up to the ceiling. "How the hell could you be in two places at once? I don't get it" She stepped off the bed and walked to his jacket. "It doesn't make sense" She reached into his pocket. "But I know it was you…" And pulled out a small crumpled photo.

_Is that me? Is that him?_

But then a more worried thought entered her mind.

_Why did I go to your jacket…why am I here right now…what just happened?_

She stepped backwards and sat on the edge of the bed. While still holding the photo, she curled her legs up underneath her and closed her eyes. The hum of the fan became a welcome noise and she creased her brow, thinking deeply.

_Show me…Show me…Show me_

She lay back, while chanting in her head.

_Show me…_

Underneath her eyelids, everything went white. Her head buzzed and blurry images appeared. The blurs turned to shapes, the shapes turned to silhouettes and the silhouettes turned to people…all lying down in a pool of their own blood. 

A/N: Next chapter: Everything begins. A well rounded critique will be gladly appreciated. 


	13. Chapter 13: Morning

**_Her Own World_**

**__**

Chapter 13: Morning

"Fall down seven times, stand up eight"

- Unknown

Disclaimer: I got Squaresoft/SquareEnix for Christmas but it didn't fit so I had to take it back for a refund. 

"I've tried everything you asked. I left the photo…I followed her around…I tried to lead her away from the alleyway and I _showed her the future. She doesn't want to listen. She doesn't care!" He knelt down in front of her._

"No…don't give up _please. _Just don't give up. They must be a way to alter it. We just need to focus a little more. I'm sure it will happen. It _must_"

..~**~..

As soon as he entered the apartment, the smell of Pine Clean eucalyptus disinfectant enveloped him to the point of nearly fainting. Rinoa jumped into his sight, dressed in a light white sun dress and wrapped her arms around him.

"Hey Rinoa"

"I decided to do some cleaning since we're leaving here soon anyway" She said, although muffled through his shirt.

"But…I thought we were staying here at least another week!" With this he pulled away and tipped her head up to face him. She frowned and shrugged him off. He playfully grabbed her arm and pushed her back over to him. "Well?"

"I know_ that_…but I don't want to stay in here and Laguna _did _say Ellone was away. So let's have a holiday. Like you promised. We can speak with Ellone when we get back"

"Rinoa I know. But we need to speak with her now. You said it yourself"

"That was before I knew what was wrong. I figured that I must be going through a sort of sorceress metamorphosis. I'm changing a little that's all" She smiled reassuring and looked him in the eyes. "Please don't worry about me; it'll just make it worse"  

_Yes Rinoa, You are changing. In ways I don't seem to like_

"Okay. We'll have our holiday. Why do I always seem to give into you?" He sighed. 

"Because I am the sorceress and you will abide by me and do as I wish me faithful knight!" She laughed, twirling her finger around at his nose. She kissed him quickly on the mouth and disappeared into the bathroom. "Get packing!" She called. "We're going to the island closest to heaven!" 

"Rinoa. Not long ago you were almost down to tears, telling me about horrifying dreams and premonitions, someone talking to you after you fainted in a hotel…you went crazy and hit your head in Timber…we can't just ignore this and blame on your condition" Rinoa stepped out of the bathroom.

"Condition? Is that what this is?"

"No…no, I mean you being a sorceress" 

"You called it a condition. Listen Squall; _there is nothing wrong with me. Stop worrying and…just have fun okay. We'll be out of here soon"_

_What's wrong with you?!_

"Whatever you say" He sat down on the bed and eyed his suitcase down on the ground. It was packed and the clothes he had on were the only things missing from it. Looking back at Rinoa, busily tidying up in the bathroom and checking off last-minute things, he smiled. "What do you mean by _get packing? It's all packed for me" _

"Yes I had time to spare so I started on it. Besides I knew you would say yes to us leaving" She smiled cheekily and threw her suitcase on the bed beside him. She jumped onto it eagerly and looked him in the eyes for the second time. He leaned over to her wrapped his arms around her waist, shifting her onto his lap. 

"Squall…why can't we be normal? You know. Going out to the park on weekends and eating freshly cut salads with our friends while laughing at the pathetic antics of our teenage kids" 

"One, because we're not normal…we're unique, and two…we don't have kids, and finally three, because that scenario is far off considering that our kids would already be teenagers!" She hit him playfully on the chest and leaned into him. He wrapped his arms around her and sighed. "One day…one day I'll give you that dream. I promise"

He could feel her heartbeat, her breathing and was fully aware of her fingers running through his hair. She began to hum quietly and his eyelids became heavy. Her hand reached over to her suitcase and grabbed a small bottle. With this bottle she raised it over Squall's head and popped open its lid.

It was a few seconds after that, when he felt a cold liquid ooze into his hair and down his forehead. A liquid that smelt a lot like _shampoo…_

"Arrg! Rinoa I knew it!" She quickly sat off the bed and recoiled herself back in laughter as the SeeD commander wiped blobs of shampoo of his head. "I knew you should not have been trusted!" He laughed. Catching a nice portion in his hand, he threw it at her, only to miss and hit the wall. This was a bad course of action because she had the entire bottle and emptied its contents onto him. 

The antics of the two children continued on for at least another few minutes. Throughout this time they emptied three bottles of shampoo, two bottles of conditioner and a can soft drink…

..~**~..

"Yeah so Squall was like, _"Maybe we can sort something out" and I was like, __"Of course we can! That would be greeeaat!" So like, you don't think I went too overboard did you Kiros? I mean…it's not like we argued or anything. He didn't yell at all! That's a definite improvement right? Right Kiros?" _

"Of course it Laguna, but might I ask, where exactly are these two people in question?"

"Don't be silly Kiros they're right in…here" 

But true to his word, Kiros was right. The small apartment meant for two was completely empty and silent. Both men stepped in and studied their surroundings. They checked each room, calling for both Rinoa and Squall but made it back to the main room empty handed. Laguna shrugged.

"Maybe they went out for coffee"

"A good suggestion Laguna but there is a fault. Squall doesn't drink coffee and all of their gear is gone. Also the entire place is clean, suggesting they tidied up before they left"

"But…why would they leave?"

"Because they're going on holidays"

"Whoa! That was a quick assumption. How'd you figure that one out? Did they leave some sort of clue like a toothbrush on the ground or a flower in a vase… or something unique as to suggest holiday activity!" Laguna's eyes sparkled as he rubbed his hands together in enthusiasm. 

"No. They left a note here on the dresser. I just read it when we came in. It says they've gone on holidays and to say hello to Ellone"

"Oh right. Good one"

"Thankyou. Now I presume we need to get back to the office?"

"Huhm? Oh right! The office of course!" He chuckled, walking out with Kiros following behind. "I worry about you sometimes Laguna" 

"Thanks! I worry about you too!" Laguna smiled at his friend and ran down the corridor with his arms spread like the wings of a plane. "Brrrruuuummm! Come on Kiros!" 

"Oh boy…"

..~**~..

"Windell!"

The dark silhouetted figure crept along the ships deck silently. 

"Windell!" It whispered fiercely, avoiding the green light that shone down from above the wall next to him. The woman in question snapped her head to side and saw the shadowy figure. She ran up to him and grabbed his arm, bringing it over her shoulder, and drew her knee high into his gut. He recoiled and fell down clutching his mid section. As she bent down to whip him another blow, his face came into the light. 

"Oh god Michael!" She stood up and clasped both her hands over her mouth to hide her shock. "M-Michael!" She repeated. 

"Yeah…ack…it's me…phew"

"I'm so sorry. I really didn't know it was you!"

"Yeah" He laughed. "You always do like a good reason to bash some poor guy up. Aye Windell?"

"Well if anyone's asking…what are you doing out here anyway?"

"Well you know… I just wanted to chat and catch up. I mean it _has _been three hours since we last spoke. How's the family?"

"What information do you want" She grinned.

"Well now that I have the chance to ask… Vaun"

She shook her head and started off toward the bow. He followed on her heels. "I'm sorry. I still haven't got much on him. It's a little hard too, now that he's president and all"

"Just tell me what you _do_ have"

"But…I'm not supposed to and all…"

"Come _on _Windell. Please?"

She leaned her head back and groaned. "Alright. Word's out that he has Caraway working for him now"

"Ha! What would he want _that _old dodger for?"

"I don't know. Besides, he was pretty good during that sorceress war. Maybe he built himself a good rep. Who knows? And like I said, it's just _the word. _I have yet to know whether it's true or not" She watched as Michael rolled his eyes and shook his head distastefully. 

She leaned against the railing. "What do you think is going to happen?" She asked quietly, wrapping her arms around herself. The ocean breeze brushed over both of them and whisked their hair around. 

"Uhm. What do you mean? What's gonna happen with what?"

"With _Vaun.__ Stupid. I mean, with all these rumors flying around about __the new age war, and _history's greatest dictator_. I'm worried. Galbadia was in ruins after Vinzer brought it down. Now his god damned son is going to finish the job"_

"Yeah all we need now is a good sorceress war to clear things up a bit" He joked.

"Don't say that!" She punched him in the arm and frowned. "That's not going to happened and I hope to god nothing like that ever starts. I hate wars. They're wrong. The third sorceress war is a myth and a stupid excuse for tabloids to make more money. So don't you start making up more rumors to make _me_ feel uneasy"

"Whoa, if you hate war so much then why did you join the army?"

"To stop them!" She whacked him the back of the head. "Anyway the Caraway thing is all I know about Vaun right now. But _again_ I'm not sure if it's true"

"Pshh, of course it's true"

"Oh yeah, why are you so sure?"

"Call it a gut feeling"

"Well, call it what you like, but I'm still skeptical. Now get back to work you slack off. Before I tell the officer on duty and have him beat you! Ha!"

"Oooh nasty!" he poked his tongue out at the younger cadet and walked back along the ships deck. "I'll be hearing from you again young lady!" He called back, still rubbing his gut. 

Windell watched him leave then turned her gaze to the ocean. It looked completely black in the night's atmosphere. The moonlight gave each ripple a silver lining. Unclipping her hair, she leaned over the edge and let the salty air wash over her. The green glow behind her set her mood, aggravated and fiddly. 

_Caraway won't let Vaun play with him but…I wonder if he's going to use him to get to the sorceress. Maybe Caraway is just his asset for war. His intentions are never pure. If he gets to the sorceress and…whoa, slow down girl. Since when did your thoughts get like this? Your letting that damn Michael get to your head too much. Nosey little vermin _

Although thousands of miles of ocean separated her from her home, she never felt closer then any time before.

..~**~..

_-Two Days Later-_

"Why am I here?"

"Because we're going to relax, get sunburnt, have countless waves dump us and learn to unwind and buy a book on cooking coconuts in over one hundred ways" Rinoa answered. 

"No I still don't get it. Why did I let you talk me into coming here? It's so…paradise like. Almost as if I'm reading a passage from Utopia" He smiled. 

"It's okay young one. This is called a h-o-l-i-d-a-y. Just hold my hand now, and I'll lead you onto the beach…come on. It's okay" She cooed, and grabbed his hand, pulling him toward the surf. He laughed and pulled back. 

"But the last time I was at a beach, I nearly drowned!"

"That's because Seifer made you go out to fetch a dead sea-horse and Matron saved you just in time. Please Squall; this is no time to re live child hood memories.  Now _come on!"_

He finally gave up the struggle and walked with her toward the edge of the water. Once close enough he sighed and relaxed his muscles. The sea air was comforting and having seagulls, not Bit Bugs, fly over him was…relaxing. The thought that back a year ago, he would _never be seen dead here kept him reasonably calm. Rinoa held his hand beside him and shielded her eyes from the sun with the other. They stood in silence watching the waves together for quite some time. Just such a simple activity completely blew their minds away. Rinoa looked up at the man next to her and nudged him in the side. _

"Ready to go for a swim?"

"Oh no…you got me this far. I'm going no further" 

"Fine stay here" She let go of his hand and faced her back to the water. "Make sure I stay between the flags okay?" She giggled and began stepping back, taking her top off, revealing her blue bikini top underneath, and threw her sarong down next to him. "I wouldn't want to suddenly get caught in a rip or something…" She started walking back faster and sat back into the water. 

Squall's eyes widened as he saw a wave coming up behind her. He was about to shout out, but she flicked herself around and swum underneath the swirl of water. When she resurfaced, she started laughing at him and waving her arms around. Soft white foam brushed his feet as the wave dispersed. 

"Come on! We can body surf and dump each other. It'll be fun, _I promise_" 

He gave in, shaking his head and walked into the water with her. She took his hand and they both ran into the choppy waters. 

"I can't believe I'm doing this" Squall laughed. Still taken back by his actions. Rinoa pointed to the horizon and faced him. "If you get dumped, stand up and look for that line. If you can't see it, swim sideward. That's what my mum always used to tell me"

"Okay thanks" They both jumped as a minor wave tumbled in. Together, slowly, they walked further and further out into the surf until their feet could no longer touch the bottom. From then on, they let the water carry them back in and out. With each new wave, they dove into its swirling cylinder of power and resurfaced, exhilarated and tired. Having never done such a thing in their lives before, they stayed out in the water until the sun began to set. 

A/N : Right. So maybe I was wrong. It doesn't all start yet. But patience is a virtue. Right?

Chichiri's-girl : _Aww__, thankyou. I'm glad it was getting good. I especially made sure this chapter wasn't short for you. Each few minutes I checked the word count to make sure I did over 2 and half thousand words. :D_

Kupo: _If you want some Monkeys, you might be able to get some on Ebay pretty cheap. But I hear they were all out of stock. Thanks for the review; I can always count you to say more than five words in a review. Thanks! _

The Angel of the Lion: _Thankyou__ for reviewing again. Hey, are you going to update Breaking Away? That's a great story. _

Ethereal Moon: _Thanks for reviewing the chapters separately, it means a lot. :D Your reviews were very nice and encouraging. _

I updated quickly because I'm trying to get this story finished before the end of term one at school. Man, that's going to be tough. 


	14. Chapter 14: Noon

**_Her Own World_**

**__**

_Chapter 14: __Noon___

Disclaimer: I made a petition up on who the real owners of FFVIII are and the results were…  www.ffpetitionownerships.com.au 

_"They say that life is short – so live it to the fullest. But what can be longer than your life? Are you going to go on for all eternity?"_

-Unknown

Quistis knew there was something wrong the minute she saw the headmaster's face.

His face was pale, his expression grey and his eyes drooped with fatigue and worry. In his left hand he held a piece of paper. Hesitant to hand it over to her, he sat back down in his chair and rubbed his chin in thought. 

"Quistis. Yesterday the president asked me how I managed to train and raise a group of SeeDs determined enough to travel through time and defeat a sorceress. Do you wish to know what I said?"

"Yes sir"

"I told him…_denial._ As odd as it may seem, denial is what made you all go that far. No one, not even me, thought you could do it. When word reached Garden about how Laguna asked you to destroy…her…we all thought you would return to us dead. I even asked Squall about it. He admitted the same. You see, denial is not always based on the fact that someone simply…cannot do something. No. It has levels. It varies on skill…passion…mental abilities…personal status and such. That is why I thought you could not do it" He smiled. "Thank you for proving me wrong" 

"That's nice of you to say sir, but may I ask why I was called here?"

Again, her stomach sunk as his facial expression dropped and the attention focused back on the paper in his hand. 

"I received a most intriguing letter from Doctor Odine of Esthar. He has been doing some back research on Ultimecia…" It clearly hurt him to say her name and Quistis shut her eyes for a moment. "He has been looking at DNA samples you and the team brought back…unfortunately something troubling arose."

"What?"

"It matched to both Squall and Rinoa." 

A lump caught in her throat and she sat back into her chair. If any doubts of Rinoa being connected to that witch at all were present in her mind, they were now _very _clear. Cid held the paper out for Quistis to take. She closed her eyes and refused to touch the paper that held the truth.

_It's a lie. It's all some stupid lie. Why on earth would the headmaster sit here explaining to me about denial then?_

But she let herself down and took the paper, letting her eyes scan over it.

"Odine said that Ultimecia is not a direct relation to them. More like a great-grandaughter or even farther removed. But as I have said Quistis, denial is our strength; we cannot back out on them now. They are our friends and allies. I know how much your friendship with them means to you. Keep this a secret between us. The others will know soon." 

"What about _them?_"

"Well…I suspect telling them will only cause problems."

"Can I contact the others?"

"No…I will tell them myself and let them know. I have a contact number for both Irvine and Selphie…but what about Zell?"

"He's in Balamb at his mother's house…sir."

"Oh, alright then. I have his contact as well then. Just remember Quistis, Squall and Rinoa are _not to know. At any cost. A lot of people died because of Ultimecia. I don't want them thinking they are responsible"_

"Yes sir. This will not leak out sir"

..~**~..

"I'll be the type of mother that lets her children stay up late…sometimes. And they can have a small snack before dinner. As long as it's healthy," Rinoa laughed. "I'll let them called me 'Old bat' and they can have their own rooms and not have to sit up straight at the dinner table. As a matter of fact…they won't even have to sit at the table for dinner. They can just sit anywhere!"

"And I'll be the type of father that's lets his kids eat junk food and watch horror movies, just before mum is about to finish cooking dinner," 

"No no, of course you won't Squall! You'll be a loving and kind father who will strive to…"

"…Make sure the kids don't leave the house without their gun blade polish." 

Rinoa picked a clump of sand up and threw it at him. It whacked him in the shoulder and dispersed. The edge of the water slowly came in and washed over their feet. It was just after four in the morning and a few specks of light came into view to hide away the stars. Rinoa pointed at the horizon and grinned.

"Here it is," she whispered. As the event of sunrise unfolded, Squall peeled his eyes away from the light to look at Rinoa. The water had come in far enough to splash upon their lower halves and she bit her lip slightly as the cold water rushed over them both. He ignored the feeling and smiled. His hand moved over hers and held it. She squeezed back, still gazing at the rising sun and moved her head over to his shoulder. 

"Hey Squall, let's go for a walk." 

"Okay." 

They walked along the shore with an arm around the others waist, their hands still intertwined. 

"What do you think the others are doing?" Rinoa asked.

"I expect Selphie and Irvine are partying on a long holiday, Zell is with Ma Dincht and Quistis is still at Garden."

"I think so too. We'll go back to Garden soon as well. I mean, we _do _have a whole month here together. You aren't missing Garden too much are you?"

"No. I'm enjoying this…really. I mean I even liked the swimming bit. Cold. But it was…you know…what's that word? Fun?"

"I'm soo tired. I've never been out swimming for that long before." 

"I've _never _been out swimming like that full stop. It's just not a Squall thing." He cocked his head to the side and whispered, "It's just a Rinoa-Squall thing okay?"

"Okay!" Glad to have him in a happy mood she rocked their arms back and forth in a swinging motion. She was on the waters edge and the wet sand underneath her toes allowed her to sink down far with each step. This caused them to move slowly, but take in more of the view and make more time together. The stretch of beach went on for miles and the lights from the Beach Resort Hotel were beginning to die down in reaction to the sunlight. 

"Hey Squall, how long are we going to be together? Like are we going to marry, have kids, grow old together and everything?" 

"Wow, that was a very _out of the blue question. I don't know, Rinoa. I'd like to. But you can't always tell what happens in the future. You just need to follow it through."_

The question shocked him, to say the least. He felt scared even. He wasn't ready to talk about the future so bluntly. 

"Yeah I suppose. But what if something happens? I mean, I _am a sorceress. As soon as the rest of the world knows that…everything will change. We might not be together. We'll be separated, and I don't want that. I need to be here with you, Squall." _

_Mainly, because I know that something is and will happen to us soon, Squall. If only you could understand the way I do… _

"Rinoa…nothing is going to change. No one needs to know about your ability. And I won't leave you because of what the rest of the world thinks…I thought you knew me better than that. But anyway, why are we talking about this?"

She hung her down and stopped walking. Placing both her hands in his, she looked up.

"I have a really strange idea."

"Does it involving swimming…?"

"No no…something much different."

She looked past him, at the sun and the azure sky before meeting his gaze. She wrapped her arms around him and looked into his eyes, fascinated at how well they resembled her feelings. Slowly he began to shake his head as a smile formed. Before his mouth opened she put a finger on his lips and leaned on his shoulder.

"I want to be with you. Not just like this…but forever. I need something to bind us together. I want us to be married in the eyes of _anyone. And before you say anything at all, I want you to know that we can wait as long as you like…just not after we leave here. There's a twenty four hour chapel here" She said with a smile.  _

"No…no…no" He laughed. "Rinoa this is a little…uh…"

"Rash?"

"Yeah…just a bit."

"Okay, think of it this way. We're twenty five, still a couple and unmarried. We have three kids all named Jerry and one day a rule is passed that couples with kids and no marriage are now legally insane. What then?" He was mostly shocked that her expression remained serious. 

Squall stared at her in silence. "Okay then…I do not wish to comment for I may incriminate myself."

"Squall…"

"I don't know…really. I'm sure you know that I care about you but I just don't know if I want us to go that far _yet. It has to be special. I'm sorry."_

The corners of Rinoa's mouth turned down just the slightest bit. "And I guess you're bound to me anyway, you're my knight." He flinched slightly at the mention of _knight _but not enough for her to notice. Rinoa sighed happily. Her eyes twinkled. "So does this mean we'll always be together?"

"Rinoa, whatever happens to us, I'll get over it. Whatever happened in my past, I'll get over it. I'm never going to leave you. I'll always be your knight but…there something more…its different than that…I…" He looked at the ground. 

_Please say it!_

His eyes began to fill with panic and she quickly hugged him close to her tightly. "It's okay, I know" She whispered.

"Thank you" A relieved Squall spoke over her shoulder.

She bit her bottom lip and placed both her hands on the sides of Squall's head, trapping him, so that both their noses met. "Okay. But promise me that you'll think about it?"

 "Promise."

"Also I'm going to kiss you now, and you have to promise me you're not going to say anything totally inane afterwards."

He crossed his heart with a free hand and she did. 

..~**~..

A/N: Short, but it just seemed right to stop it here. Many thanks to Kupo. Oh yeah, and the website link at the top? It's a fake. I wonder how many people tried to go to that…

Kupo-Note: Karla, so cute! I loved the "Rinoa-Squall thing" line, you have wonderful ability to write romantic scenes that really make you smile! Keep writing, you crazy Aussie! ^.^ 


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